UFC star Tatiana Suarez reportedly signs deal with MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz for professional representation
Undefeated UFC fighter Tatiana Suarez appears to have signed a contract with Dominance MMA Management founder Ali Abdelaziz. Multiple reports suggest that Suarez has inked the deal with Abdelaziz to have him represent her as her manager moving forward.
Suarez, a highly accomplished amateur wrestler, is widely considered to be one of the best mixed martial arts fighters today. The 33-year-old boasts an amateur MMA record of 2-0, an exhibition MMA record of 3-0, and a professional MMA record of 10-0. The California-born athlete is 7-0 in the UFC, with dominant victories over elite fighters such as Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza, and Jessica Andrade.
In recent years, Suarez was represented by Dulcedo Management (i.e., Dulcedo Sports & Entertainment). However, according to reports by ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto and MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, she's now penned a deal with MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA Management.
In a tweet, Okamoto suggested that Suarez's new representative, Abdelaziz, has noted that the UFC star is healthy and would like the UFC organization to give her a title shot against UFC women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili.
Meanwhile, Damon Martin posted a tweet in which he indicated that Tatiana Suarez has signed with Ali Abdelaziz for his professional representation/management services. Abdelaziz has long represented many big-name MMA stars, including Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, and Kayla Harrison.
Apparently, the influential MMA manager told Martin that he would formulate a structure for Suarez's fight camp to ensure she stayed healthy, alluding to the fact that she's often been sidelined for lengthy periods due to injuries.
Moreover, Martin proceeded to imply that, per Abdelaziz, Suarez's training camps would be built around her. It'll be akin to boxing training camps crafted for top-tier boxing stars.
Tatiana Suarez outlines potential UFC comeback after injury hiatus
Tatiana Suarez's most recent octagon outing ended with her besting former UFC women's strawweight champion Jessica Andrade via second-round submission in Aug. 2023. She was booked to take on Amanda Lemos in a pivotal strawweight showdown at UFC 298 (Feb. 17, 2024).
Nevertheless, Suarez withdrew from the matchup. In an appearance on the Two Straws podcast, she revealed that the pull-out was due to a strange knee injury.
Furthermore, in a recent interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda MMA, Suarez suggested that she'd love to compete for the UFC women's strawweight title next or in a number-one contender's fight. Signaling that perhaps her canceled matchup against fellow top contender Virna Jandiroba could be rebooked next, she said:
"I think maybe if I fight Virna, that would make sense. And then, if not, then I get the title shot."
Tatiana Suarez explained that she was recently cleared to return to sparring again and hopes to commence her next fight camp soon. The grappling savant highlighted that she'd like to return in June 2024, potentially during the UFC's annual International Fight Week. The UFC has yet to announce Suarez's exact comeback date and opponent.
Check out Suarez's comments below (0:44):