Virna Jandiroba: Tatiana Suarez fight 'could be a title eliminator' as she eyes Dern trilogy
Champion Mackenzie Dern has beaten Jandiroba twice, and the No 3 strawweight believes a third fight could come in 2027 if she gets past No 2 Suarez at UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday.
Virna Jandiroba says whoever wins her fight with Tatiana Suarez at UFC Vegas 124 "deserves another title shot", and thinks their strawweight co-main event on Saturday "could be a title eliminator".
"It's pretty confusing," Jandiroba told MMA Fighting of the state of the division. "Weili Zhang hasn't said anything, so I'm assuming for now that she won't be coming back. I think the fight with Tatiana is a very fair matchup for both of us."
"We're very close in the rankings, and I think whoever gets through this fight deserves another title shot," she added. "Tatiana has never fought Mackenzie, I've already fought her, but it's a fair matchup, especially my fight with Mackenzie, which was very close. I'm not the one who makes those decisions, but I think this could be a title eliminator."
Mackenzie Dern, the champion, has beaten Jandiroba twice on decisions, including when Jandiroba challenged for the title a year ago. Three of Jandiroba's four UFC losses have come against former or future champions, and at 9-4 in the UFC she believes a trilogy with Dern could come in 2027 if she beats Suarez.
Zhang is No 1 in the UFC's strawweight rankings, with Suarez No 2 and Jandiroba No 3. Suarez lost a decision to Zhang in her own title shot, then beat Amanda Lemos and Loopy Godinez. Jandiroba has also beaten both.
The pair have been booked to fight twice before. Jandiroba pulled out of their 2023 fight with an ACL injury, and the following year Suarez withdrew and was given the title shot against Zhang instead.
Jandiroba, who said she has only "a few more" fights left before she retires, also said: "The belt is the moon, you know? But if I don't reach it, I'll land among the stars."
Both made weight on Friday, Suarez at 115.5lb and Jandiroba at 116lb. The prelims start at 10pm UK time on Saturday, with the main card from 1am on Sunday.
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