LAS VEGAS – Virna Jandiroba intends to send a message to the UFC women's strawweight division.
Jandiroba (23-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) fought for the vacant title last October and came up short against Mackenzie Dern
. Now, her goal is to get back to another title chance, and that journey continues in the co-feature of UFC Fight Night 293 against Tatiana Suarez, which takes place at the Meta APEX on Saturday (Paramount+)."It's a very important fight," Jandiroba told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday's media day. "We're up there in the rankings, No. 2 and 3. So, we're looking for that title shot. She is a renowned and experienced grappler, and I'm an experienced grappler, so I look at it as a clash of titans – and I'm very happy
to be back fighting. Happy with the opportunity, and anxious even, to get it going."
Suarez (12-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) had her first title opportunity before Jandiroba last year, losing a unanimous decision to Zhang Weili at UFC 312 in February. She has since won back-to-back fights: a unanimous decision over Amanda Lemos and a submission win over Loopy Godinez.
Jandrioba won a unanimous decision over Tabatha Ricci in April, but to earn another title opportunity, she believes a win over Suarez alone isn't enough.
"I definitely think there's a message that needs to be sent, and I think it's that I'm still a part of the game," Jandiroba said. "I continue to be here, and livelier than ever. ... We obviously don't know how the fight's gonna go. We want to make sure to get a finish to get the chance. I think we should be next for that. You want to finish a fight strong, and you want to end it on a note that a message is sent, and the organization gets impressed enough to give you a title shot."
Should Jandiroba pull off the statement finish of Suarez, who has never been stopped in her career, she believes the lessons learned from her first meeting with Dern (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) will pay off in the rematch.
"I think the fight with Mackenzie was decided on details," Jandiroba said. "Some fine-tuning needs to happen. I think one of the biggest lessons I took was to be more forceful and really strive to get a knockout or a finish, and basically go for it from the beginning."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Virna Jandiroba eyes title rematch, aiming to send 'a message' vs. Tatiana Suarez
