Weili Zhang hands Tatiana Suarez first loss in dominant UFC 312 title defense

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Feb 9, 2025 12:27 AM ET

(Zuffa LLC)

The co-main event of UFC 312 saw the undefeated Tatiana Suarez finally get her first shot at UFC gold against Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang.

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A submission win over Carla Esparza at UFC 281 saw Zhang kick off her second reign with the promotion's strawweight title, and "Magnum" followed up that performance with a title defense against Amanda Lemos before she most recently defeated her Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300.

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The #1-ranked Suarez won The Ultimate Fighter 23 in 2016 and joined the promotion with a considerable amount of hype before being hampered by various injuries, but a victory over former strawweight titleholder Jessica Andrade in her last outing in 2023 was enough to secure a long-awaited title shot against Zhang.

Only ONE can be the strawweight queen

Zhang Weili vs @TatianaUFC

[ #UFC312 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/7NSoqFTHxD
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025

The American actually entered UFC 312 as a small favorite to unseat the champion, and Suarez had little difficulty landing an early takedown that led to a significant amount of top control time before she attempted a guillotine choke and spent the final minute on her back.

Zhang had a chance to land some kicks early in the second round before Suarez forced her to the fence, but the champion managed to stifle several takedown attempts during the course of the round and start to open up with ground and pound from top position.

Made it to the Championship Rounds

Who's ahead on your scorecards? #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/S3hVHXpEV9
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025

"Magnum" continued to find significant success stuffing the challenger's takedowns while also managing to visibly rock Suarez with some big shots, and in the fourth round Zhang actually landed a takedown of her own and nearly ended things with what looked to be a tight arm triangle choke.

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Suarez came out in the final round knowing that she needed a finish, but Zhang picked up right where she'd left off in the previous round and dominated the challenger to secure her third successful title defense.

NEVER A DOUBT

Zhang Weili defeats Tatiana Suarez at #UFC312 by unanimous decision to remain the strawweight champion of the world! pic.twitter.com/gRGdjPOTw0
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025