Much like his M-1 Challenge XXIII opponent, Arsen Temirkhanov, the crafty Spaniard Juan Manuel Suarez Montesdeoca has gone relatively unnoticed by North American fans since making his debut in late 2007 as he quietly amassed an undefeated 13-0 record. With the M-1 ring being a familiar battleground for this warrior, ‘Jaunma’ returns to the promotion for the fourth time in his career and is set to shock the crowd with his light-speed combinations and limb-locking submissions. If he can continue his impressive run with a victory on Saturday March 5th, Juanma will see more frequent trips inside the confines of the 5-rope ring as a promising contender for the welterweight belt.
The 31-year-old Suarez hails from Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands and is the pride of the Taz Jinamar fight team. Standing a solid 6′ 1″, he’s a good-sized welterweight in any region and has a reach that can deliver deadly, pin-point combinations while keeping him elusively out of an opponent’s range. Seeking a step up in competition, Suarez is eager to put his skills to the test against a new roster of tough European talent starting with Temirkhanov.
Starting with humble beginnings as a participant in outdoor grappling tournaments, Suarez continued to develop his jiu jitsu skills and is now a fighter with composed, confident ground skills, capable of unleashing an aggressive offensive off his back; his solid submission defense also enables him to roll through dangerous positions with relative ease and into smooth, sequential attempts of his own.
Standing up, Juanma is quick to explode with flying knees, advancing dirtectly into rapid-fire combinations that include heavy-handed striking and quick, stinging leg-kicks; the speed of his kicks leave opponents in constant confusion and guessing as to whether the impact is headed low for the legs, to the middle body and ribs or to the head for a devastating knockout.
Suarez is ready for his battle on the much larger M-1 Global world stage. With M-1 Challenge streaming live to a worldwide audience, a victory will elevate the Spaniard’s awareness with the North American fans who have likely never heard of him before; stringing together a run of exciting victories will likely award Suarez a couple of plane tickets to fight on one of M-1 Global’s US-based events. The future is extremely bright for this undefeated warrior.
Fans can watch Suarez and Temirkhanov collide inside the Crocus City arena in Moscow, Russia on Saturday, March 5th by tuning in to the official live stream on M-1 Global website, www.M-1Global.com at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST
