Standout wrestler Tatiana Suarez Padilla advanced to the tournament final with a slick submission victory during tonight’s 12th episode of The Ultimate Fighter 23: “Team Joanna vs Team Claudia.” Suarez Padilla finished Team Claudia stablemate Kate Jackson with a first-round guillotine choke.
With the victory, Suarez Padilla moves on to face another Team Claudia ally, Amanda Bobby “ABC” Cooper, for the TUF 23 strawweight tournament title. That bout takes place on Friday night at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, which also features a UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship rematch.
Suarez Padilla (3-0-0 pro) wasted no time in taking the fight with Jackson (7-2-1 pro) to the mat. She used a body kick to set up a headlock takedown and landed short right hands from the scarf hold position. Jackson scrambled back to half-guard, but she was unable to create enough space to get back to her feet. Suarez Padilla looked to set up a guillotine choke from the top and she locked it on as Jackson stood against the cage. Suarez Padilla pushed Jackson down to the mat while maintaining her grip on the mounted guillotine choke and Jackson tapped out at the 2:53 mark.
On Friday, Suarez Padilla and Cooper clash for this season’s tournament trophy and a six-figure UFC contract. In the TUF 23 Finale main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna JÄ™drzejczyk puts her title on the line against rival opposing coach Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha, whom she narrowly defeated in the pair’s first fight in late 2014.