And Still

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Following UFC 312 in Australia, there are many things to break down regarding the top two fights on the card. With both champions successfully defending their titles through dominant victories, where do they go next? First, let’s dive into Zhang Weili versus Tatiana Suarez. 

In a fight for UFC strawweight supremacy, champion Zhang Weili took on the undefeated American Tatiana Suarez. Heading into the bout, this was seen by many as Weili’s toughest challenge, with Suarez’s world-class wrestling potentially overwhelming the champion. However, after an impressive first round from Suarez, where she pushed the pace while putting Weili on the back foot, it was domination from the champion. Weili’s striking proved to be too much for the challenger, keeping her at range with low kicks, punishing Suarez with elite boxing. When Suarez attempted to engage in wrestling sequences, Weili effectively stuffed the takedowns, won the clinch battles, and punished her opponent on the feet. 

At this point, there remain little to no formidable challengers in the division for the champion. In her post-fight interview, she called out the flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. This matchup could be the biggest in women’s MMA, between the pound-for-pound number one and two fighters. If Weili is to receive this fight, she will be on the cusp of being the greatest women’s fighter ever to do it. The future is bright for the champion out of China, and she will look to continue setting records in her UFC career.

Shifting over to the main event of the evening, in a rematch for the middleweight title, Dricus Du Plessis successfully defeated Sean Strickland in their rematch. Nearly a year ago, these two competed in a war, with both fighters feeling they had done enough to earn the title. Although Du Plessis was victorious, Strickland felt he had done enough to secure victory and vowed to obliterate Du Plessis in their rematch. Since they lost fought, both fighters secured impressive victories, with the champion notching his first title defense over the great Isreal Adesanya and Strickland earning a dominant win over Paulo Costa. Nonetheless, the rematch was nowhere near as close as the first contest. Du Plessis put on a masterclass from the opening bell to the end, demonstrating superior ability wherever the fight went. In the wrestling department, Du Plessis could only secure one takedown; however, the evolution of his striking stunned Strickland. The South African put his opponent on the backfoot the entire contest, winning every exchange on the feet. In the fourth round, Du Plessis broke Strickland’s nose with a cracking right hand, sealing the victory for the champion. Strickland entered the fight with the same strategy as previous contests, utilizing his jab and teep kick to maintain distance and pick his opponent apart from range. This strategy was rendered ineffective, as Du Plessis’ vastly improved striking could counter the American’s jab and ultimately secure a dominant victory. 

The next matchup for the champion is clearly Khamzat Chimaev. Nobody else in the division deserves the shot over Chimeav, and for Du Plessis, this will, without a doubt, be the toughest matchup of his career. With a few more victories and title defenses, we may be looking at one of the greatest middleweights ever. For Strickland, he and his team need to go back to the drawing board, and a future title shot is unlikely for the American; however, if anyone can bounce back and revitalize their career, it’s Sean Strickland. It was a thrilling night of combat in Australia, and stay tuned for an upcoming breakdown on UFC 313 between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev.