Tatiana Suarez had to work for every bit of this one. When it was over she pointed straight at the title.

Suarez beat Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision in the strawweight co-main event of UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

It was Suarez's third straight win since she lost a title shot to Weili Zhang last year. Jandiroba lost a vacant title fight to Mackenzie Dern last October and rebounded with a decision over Tabatha Ricci in April.

A slow start on the feet

Jandiroba stuffed a string of early takedown tries and kept finding space to strike. She timed a double-leg late in the first round and briefly got Suarez to the canvas before a scramble closed the period.

Suarez landed a knee from a Thai clinch in the second round and later sprawled on a Jandiroba shot. Once she had top position she drove toward mount and landed elbows while Jandiroba scrambled for a late leg attack that ran out of time.

The third round settles it

The two traded more freely in the last round before Suarez finally finished a takedown. She worked from half guard and stuffed a kneebar attempt then kept punching from the top until the horn.

The fighters embraced afterward. Suarez praised Jandiroba as extremely tough on the ground and said she had a lot of fun in the fight.

Asked what she wants next she did not hesitate. "I want that belt. I faced a really good opponent who arguably did win the belt. So I look forward to the challenge."