UFC 312 takeaways: Don’t doubt Dricus Du Plessis’ chances vs. Khamzat Chimaev

What mattered most at UFC 312 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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5. Team Topuria wins the battle

The primary storyline for this event outside of the championship bouts was the preliminary card matchup between debuting bantamweights Aleksandre Topuria and Colby Thicknesse, which the former won by unanimous decision.

More so than the debuting athletes themselves, the bout was put under a scope because Topuria (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is the older bother of UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, and Thicknesse (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is the pupil of former longtime titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, both of whom were present throughout fight week and in the corner during the contest.

That added an extra layer of intrigue, but there was no heat and it was all respect before and after the fight. Ultimately the most important thing was the result, and Topuria was the one who got his hand raised in a fairly convincing performance.

Did anything about Topuria’s showing make me believe that, as Ilia told me last year, that he’s actually the better fighter of the siblings? That’s already an insane comparison to make given Ilia’s position as an undefeated champion, and nothing from the fight made me think that will ever be proven accurate.

Nevertheless, Topuria faced immense pressure in this spot, which was heightened by the team vs. team element, and he got the job done. Now he can proceed and see what kind of run he can make at 135 pounds.

4. Tatiana Suarez hits her ceiling

Tatiana Suarez’s worst nightmare came true in her title shot against Zhang Weili when it quickly became evident the strawweight champion had all answers to her biggest offensive threats.

Since winning “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in 2016, Suarez (11-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has been anointed as a future champion. Her road to a title shot was repeatedly derailed by injuries and health issues, and the biggest question mark coming in was whether it was all too much for her to overcome.

The answer was yes. Suarez showed tremendous heart and determination as things went from bad to worse throughout the fight with Weili, but she did not have enough weapons, especially on the feet. Given Suarez is 34, it’s hard to imagine her evolving enough to work her way to a rematch and win.

Suarez’s has reasons to be undeterred. This was a lot to throw at her under the circumstances, and in a thin 115-pound division where she is superior to almost all, it won’t take much to put herself back in the conversation. This was a tough way to take her first loss, though, and it will force her to answer some difficult questions.

Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312: Best photos

3. Zhang Weili silences her doubters

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Zhang Weili is deserves of any and all superlatives attached to her name after showing Suarez that her perceived destiny of UFC gold is not meant for the present.

Weili (26-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) entered as an underdog for just the second time for her UFC career and was viewed by a wide majority as victim to Suarez’s certain reign. She had other plans, however, and provided a reminder to her greatness with a complete and thorough beatdown over five rounds for the unanimous decision.

The praise for Weili could be endless after this win, but UFC CEO Dana White essentially said it best in the aftermath of the event: Weili has now earned the position to either defend the belt against whomever she desires most, or call for a move to women’s flyweight for a super fight with Valentina Shevchenko.

Time will tell what ends up happening, but this is now solidified as a special run for Weili, and it needs to be appreciated.

‘Greatest female in the world’: Fighters react to Zhang Weili’s title defense vs. Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312

2. Sean Strickland’s time runs out

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Sean Strickland’s time as a championship threat has seemingly now passed after his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis, and many are rejoicing over that reality.

Whatever you think about Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) and his world views or willingness to push all limits when a microphone is put in front of him, his winning record in the octagon has afforded many major opportunities. It felt like the pubic was reaching its end point with his style ahead of this event, however, and given he didn’t deliver, his rope of tolerance may be shorter than ever.

To give him full credit, no one can deny Strickland’s toughness. He is ridiculously durable and the fact he fought the majority of the bout with a shattered nose is a testament to that. Du Plessis has finished every other UFC opponent he’d faced, but hasn’t been table to put Strickland away in 50 minutes of cage time.

That said, Strickland’s strategy was perplexing from the outset, and once again did not align with his pre-fight promises. Even when his head coach Eric Nicksick pleaded to diversify his attacks after each round, Strickland never changed gears for a sustained period, and it led to the one-sided loss on the scorecards.

Strickland is now in the dreadful position of having two losses to the standing champion, and he doesn’t even have the lifeline of claiming the fights were good. He’s still a candidate for a number of big fights moving forward, it’s fair to say the absolute peak of Strickland has likely come and gone, and his platform was dimmed in multiple ways as a result of this loss.

Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland at UFC 312: Best photos

1. Dricus Du Plessis will once again face doubt

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Despite Dricus Du Plessis continuing to win, and do so in a fashion where he displays growth in almost every area of his game, his title defense over Strickland won’t do much to change the widespread sentiment that his reign is on a clock.

It’s clear to everyone involved that Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) must next face the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC). It probably should’ve happened on this card, and it unquestionably must happen now. Du Plessis said as much post-fight, and it’s one of the biggest fights the UFC can make right now.

If and when it does go down, though, how many people are throwing their support behind Du Plessis to win? It already feels like they are few and far between, and that’s what it makes it such a fascinating scenario.

Much in the same vein as mentioned with Suarez, the championship future of Chimaev has long been dubbed as a guarantee. Standing in front of him will be a titleholder who seems to do his best work when pushed into a corner, though.

Du Plessis has shown time and again that underestimating him is foolish. Chimaev might be the most warranted instance of it so far, but the champion can’t be doubted. If Du Plessis wins, the entire MMA community needs to revaluate this man and what he would have done within 10 fights inside the octagon.