As a teenager and young woman, Tatiana Suarez was a ground-breaker in female wrestling, winning medals at several world competitions and working her way up to being ranked the top female freestyle wrestler in the U.S. in 2011. She was training for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London when she suffered a devastating neck injury. MRI and CAT scans revealed a trouble disc in her neck, but also a cancerous growth on her thyroid that turned out to be cancer.

After undergoing surgery and radiation therapy, she returned to training and picked up Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That led her to mixed martial arts, where she again fought her way up to become one of the best professional MMA fighters in the world.

Suarez’ journey is chronicled in HBO Sports’ documentary film, The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez, directed by Cassius Corrigan (Huracán), a mixed martial artist himself who also has created content for Conor McGregor. Corrigan had access to Suarez and her team as she rehabbed, trained and fought, including home videos and footage from her overall career.

Besides Suarez, appearing in the movie are her family, including her mother Lisa, brother Chris and grandmother Suzanne; her head coach Romie Aram; her strength and conditioning coach Andy Galpin, PhD; her high-school wrestling coach, David Ochoa; her cornerman Patrick “Patchy” Mix; her high-school head wrestling coach Roy Lazaro; and the women of the Northview High School wrestling team. Also appearing in the film are UFC President and CEO Dana White, Team USA head wrestling coach Terry Steiner, MMA journalist Ariel Helani and former UFC fighter Claudia Gadelha.

The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez is a Dentsu Production in association with SMAC Productions. It’s directed and executive produced by Cassius Corrigan, with Kedian Asulei, Cecile Murias, Geneva Wasserman, Michael Strahan, Constance Schwartz-Morini and Fred Anthony Smith also executive producing. Michèle Ohayon produces.

The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez debuts Wednesday, January 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

Tags: hbo max the unbreakable tatiana suarez


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