UFC 312 on Saturday in Sydney, Australia, was headlined by a pair of high stakes title bouts, including the middleweight title rematch pitting champ Dricus Du Plessis vs former champ Sean Strickland.
Strickland came up short yet again against the South African, although this time the fight was not nearly as close. In the co-main event, UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang defended her title against the formerly undefeated Tatiana Suarez. The card boasted 12 total bouts with five on the main card. On the second fight on the main card, Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato ended in a majority draw after Bellato clawed his way back into the fight. A couple of thwarted title challengers need reasonable next steps as well as a couple of fighters on ‘hot’ seats.
Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland lost a clear-cut unanimous decision in his rematch against Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC’s middleweight strap. Strickland narrowly avoided the stoppage but had his nose badly broken in the bout. Sean has now lost two of his last five fights- both against ‘Stillknocks.’ Strickland entered the bout on Saturday as the #1 ranked middleweight.
With #3 Khamzat Chimaev likely being next in line for the title and Strickland having fought the majority of the top guys in the weight class, one name stands out. Strickland should fight Robert Whittaker in his next fight. Both are former middleweight champions and have lost two of their last five bouts. They share common opponents in Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa and Jared Cannonier. Both men were also welterweights that moved up to middleweight while under the UFC banner. Two very different types of strikers-and personalities, I could see this being a fight night headliner late in 2025. Winner would keep themselves within the elites of the middleweight division with loser likely falling deep into the latter half of the rankings.
Strickland’s next fight: Robert Whittaker
Tatiana Suarez
Tatiana Suarez had a good first round but was absolutely shut out in the remainder of her five-round title bout, losing a lopsided unanimous decision to the strawweight champion, Weili Zhang.
The loss on Saturday was the first of Tatiana’s 11-fight pro MMA career. The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 winner has struggled through a plethora of debilitating injuries. As a result, Suarez has had just three fights since mid 2019(with four cancelled bouts in the same time period). Despite these facts, Suarez entered the fight ranked #1 in the UFC’s strawweight division.
Leading into her title shot, Tatiana’s most recent win was a second-round submission against Jessica Andrade in August of 2023. A few months earlier, in February, she submitted Montana De La Rosa, also in the second round.
Suarez has been matched up to fight Virna Jandiroba multiple times in the past couple of years but injuries for both fighters cancelled both matchups. Jandiroba is scheduled to fight Yan Xiaonan on UFC 314 in April. The loser of that fight would make sense but only if Suarez is okay to wait. If not, #6 ranked Mackenzie Dern would be a good opponent. Dern has won her last two fights including her most recent fight, finishing Amanda Ribas in the third round of their bout in January. Grappler vs grappler but a wrestling base versus a jiu-jitsu base, it could be a very interesting fight for fans. The winner of this fight would likely be on the short list for a title shot, potentially needing one more win to make it a reality.
Suarez’s next fight: Mackenzie Dern or loser of Virna Jandiroba vs Yan Xiaonan
Justin Tafa
Justin Tafa was quickly crushed by UFC newcomer and 2024 Contender Series product, Tallison Teixeira at UFC 312. A well-placed elbow spelled the end of a very short night for Tafa. The disappointing outcome was Tafa’s second loss in a row, and he now is 4-5, 1 NC in the UFC.
Tafa is on the hot seat to put it mildly. If not for his brother and the shallow depth of the UFC’s heavyweight roster, Tafa might already have been cut. Tafa should revisit the bout that he fell out of last year against Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Marcos ended up fighting Justin’s brother Junior Tafa and finishing him in the second round. That fight should be rebooked giving Justin the opportunity to avenge his brother. If that fight can’t materialize then Tafa should revisit a cancelled fight with Kennedy Nzechukwu. Kennedy is supposed to fight Martin Buday in April. The loser of that fight would be perfect matchup for Tafa as well.
Tafa’s next fight: Marcos Rogerio de Lima or Loser of Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Martin Buday.
Francisco Prado
Francisco Prado was out-struck at UFC 312 on the way to unanimous decision loss to Jake Matthews. Prado, who made his UFC debut in February of 2023 against Jamie Mullarkey, is now 1-3 with the promotion.
Kevin Jousset would be a good next opponent for Prado. Jousset fought on the undercard on Saturday losing to UFC newcomer and 2024 Contender Series product Jonathan Miacallef. Jousset is now 2-2 with the UFC and has lost two straight. Neither guy is afraid to stand and strike even if they are overmatched. Good level of competition for both men and the loser could potentially risk being cut (if it doesn’t happen before that).
Prado’s next fight: Kevin Jousset
