Tatiana Suarez was at one point a 13-1 favorite over her opponent in tonight’s UFC 238 pay per view, Nina Ansaroff. She has since shrunk to a 6.5-1 favorite according to some betting sites, and yet despite her gap as a favorite being cut in half, she remains a monster favorite against the #3 contender in the strawweight division. And Tatiana Suarez could care less:
“I don’t think about those things,” Suarez told MMA Fighting regarding her status as a massive favorite over Nina Ansaroff. “When you’re locked in a cage with someone, you don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m the underdog, I’m the favorite.’ Those things kind of go out the window when someone’s trying to kick you in the face. Those things aren’t really important, you just kind of focus on the task at hand and that’s winning the fight and dominating. That’s what I try to do.
“If I’m not dominating every part of the fight, there’s something wrong here and I have to make adjustments. For me, I’m trying to dominate every single position and be three steps ahead of everybody else.”
Much like a fighter cannot afford to think about pluses and minuses when ensnared in combat, even in preparation, a champion’s mindset ought not factor in perceptions of the outside world of the talent level of yourself or your opponent, but ready for the battle ahead. In the case of the undefeated Tatiana Suarez, the one thing that her preparations do not include is the thought of losing:
“I don’t prepare to lose ever,” Suarez said. “Obviously, I know there’s going to be a winner and a loser, but I don’t prepare to face a loss ever. I go out there and I’m like, just go do what you’re gonna do and have fun. If you do that, you’re gonna be fine.”
What are your expectations for Tatiana Suarez vs. Nina Ansaroff tonight at UFC 238?
