The Main Card of UFC Fight Night will continue on ESPN+ with this bout in the Women's Flyweight (125 lb) Division. After three years and eight months outside of the octagon, Tatiana Suarez will be making her long awaited return to the octagon to square off against hungry contender Montana De La Rosa. Check out our UFC odds series for our Suarez-De La Rosa prediction and pick.
Tatiana Suarez is undefeated at 8-0 in her short MMA career. Her last fight was on June 8, 2019 where she handedly beat Nina Nunes. Prior to that, she ran through the likes of Carla Esparza, Alexa Grasso, and Amanda Cooper and earned the No. 2 Strawweight ranking. She was then plagued by several knee injuries that halted her career and marked a long road of surgery and rehabilitation work. She finally feels healthy and will be excited to make her return in this fight. Suarez stands 5'5″ with a 66-inch reach.
Montana De La Rosa is 12-7 in her professional career and 5-3 in the UFC. She's been able to secure eight of her wins by submission, but hasn't been able to find one in her last five fights. She lost her most recent bout by dropping a unanimous decision to Maycee Barber. She'll look to get back on track as she faces an opponent who may be rusty. De La Rosa stands 5'7″ with a 68-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Tatiana Suarez-Montana De La Rosa Odds
Tatiana Suarez: -770
Montana De La Rosa: +540
Will the Fight Go the Distance? YES: -118
Will the Fight Go the Distance? NO: -106
How to Watch Tatiana Suarez vs. Montana De La Rosa
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Tatiana Suarez Will Win
Before her time off, Tatiana Suarez was on a demolition course through the strawweight division. She was en route to a title opportunity and even had aspirations to wrestle in the 2012 London Olympics. However, she sustained major damaged to the MCL, PCL, and ACL in her knee and needed major reconstructive surgery. She also has had minor back issues stem from the knee injury. Almost four years is a crazy amount of time to miss for a fighter, so there's a real question as to how Suarez will look in the cage.
Suarez has a suffocating wrestling game that is second-to-none. She has tremendous top pressure and will suffocate her opponents with ground-and-pound. She likes to control her opponents' wrists and tie them up on the ground. Suarez also has a plethora of submissions she can attack and if she gets a hold of De La Rosa, it could be a quick fight. The hope is that Suarez is now full healthy and ready to make another run at the title, a feat she is dead-set on achieving.
Why Montana De La Rosa Will Win
Montana De La Rosa has been able to display her striking chops in a number of her fights. She's a patient striker that will wait for openings and throw accurate shots. She doesn't have the most power, but she's very good at stringing combinations together and landing in bunches. She does her best work on the ground as eight of her wins have come by submission. Assuming she'll eventually have to counter a takedown in this one, look for De La Rosa to work her defense and search for submissions if she gets to her back.
De La Rosa will be severely outmatched in the wrestling department. However, she may be the more comfortable striker in there considering she's been active and fought just nine months ago. De La Rosa will have to be smart and bring the fight to Suarez in her return back. If she can keep Suarez retreating, she may have a chance to win as a huge underdog.
Final Tatiana Suarez-Montana De La Rosa Prediction & Pick
Being a -800 favorite in after a 3.5 year layoff is a wild spread to handle. If Suarez is anything like the fight she was four years ago, she'll be able to run through her opponent tonight will relative ease, which is what the odds makers are predicting. Bettors are seeing value in De La Rosa, but I think Suarez will be ready and finally healthy to begin her title run. There's no sense taking the moneyline; look for Suarez to chase a submission here.
Final Tatiana Suarez-Montana De La Rosa Prediction & Pick: Tatiana Suarez (-770); by Submission (+260)
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