Virna Jandiroba vs. Tatiana Suarez: UFC Vegas 124 start time
A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt meets a decorated wrestler in Saturday’s co-main event in Las Vegas, with a shot at Mackenzie Dern on the line.
Brazil’s Virna Jandiroba faces American Tatiana Suarez on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 124. The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Both made weight on Friday: Jandiroba came in at 116 pounds and Suarez at 115.5.
Suarez is ranked No. 2 at strawweight and Jandiroba No. 3. The winner leaves Las Vegas as the strongest contender to face champion Mackenzie Dern.
Jiu-Jitsu vs. wrestling
A Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Serrinha, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, Jandiroba is 23-4 in MMA with 14 wins by submission. The former Invicta FC champion holds the record for most control time in UFC strawweight history.
Suarez came to MMA from freestyle wrestling, where she won gold at the 2008 Pan American Championships. Her only loss came against Zhang Weili, by unanimous decision, in a title fight at UFC 312 in February 2025. Since then, she has beaten Amanda Lemos and Loopy Godinez.
Suarez finishes fights too: she has seven submission wins, according to the UFC. The promotion pointed out on Instagram this week that one more win could put her atop the strawweight division in both submissions and finishes.
Jandiroba and Suarez’s common opponents
Their results against the same opponents help frame the matchup. Jandiroba submitted Amanda Lemos with an armbar in the second round in July 2024, earning a Performance of the Night bonus. Suarez beat Lemos by unanimous decision in September 2025.
Against Loopy Godinez, it flips. Jandiroba won a unanimous decision in March 2024. Suarez submitted Godinez with a rear-naked choke in the second round at UFC 327 in April. Each woman finished an opponent the other could only outpoint.
Jandiroba’s road back to Mackenzie Dern
Jandiroba has lost to Dern twice, both by unanimous decision: in 2020 and in October 2025, when they fought for the vacant title at UFC 321. She bounced back in April with a win over Tabatha Ricci. In October, the Brazilian said she wants a trilogy fight with Dern in early 2027, but Suarez comes first.
The UFC Vegas 124 fight card
The main event pits Brazil’s Johnny Walker against Waldo Cortes Acosta of the Dominican Republic at heavyweight. The fight came together on short notice after Gabriel Bonfim vs. Sean Brady fell through, and Walker accepted it last week. Ahead of the event, he also ruled out fighting his brother Valter in the UFC.
The card features 11 Brazilian fighters, according to UFC Brasil. The prelims start at 5 p.m. ET.
Main card (8 p.m. ET):
- Waldo Cortes Acosta vs. Johnny Walker (heavyweight)
- Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba (strawweight)
- Davey Grant vs. Elijah Smith (bantamweight)
- Billy Elekana vs. Lucas Fernando (light heavyweight)
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Nina Milosevic (bantamweight)
- Mitch Raposo vs. Marcos Degli (flyweight)
Prelims (5 p.m. ET):
- Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Ollie Schmid (featherweight)
- Gabriel Lorenço vs. Thomas Petersen (heavyweight)
- Karine Silva vs. Gabriella Fernandes (flyweight)
- Jose Delano vs. Murtazali Magomedov (featherweight)
- Austin Bashi vs. Carlos Calderon (featherweight)
- Mantas Kondratavicius vs. Andre Petroski (middleweight)
- Seokhyeon Ko vs. Wellington Turman (welterweight)
- Jonny Parsons vs. José Souza (welterweight)
Who do you have: Jandiroba’s Jiu-Jitsu or Suarez’s wrestling? Drop your pick in the comments.
Read more:
- Virna Jandiroba targets Mackenzie Dern trilogy in early 2027
- Johnny Walker rules out UFC fight with brother Valter Walker
- Gabriel Bonfim loses Sean Brady, UFC hunts for a replacement
