The UFC is trying to put on the best cards possible, but the saturation can’t be ignored. There used to be far fewer cards per month with a much shorter roster, but since the pandemic, the UFC has taken a quantity over quality approach.
Some believe UFC 312 was an example of that. While two title fights headlined the show, the rest of the card left a lot to be desired. On the flip side, lenient fight fans who love the sport seem fight with the ebbs and flows of quality UFC cards, and UFC 312 wasn’t that bad.
The big question coming out of UFC 312 is what’s next for Zhang Weili and Dricus Du Plessis after their dominant wins? Are there any prospects to anticipate in future UFC fights? Here’s a look at what’s next for the big winners and losers after UFC 312.
Winners
Dricus Du Plessis: The Sean Strickland saga is over. Du Plessis looked even better than last time and left zero reason for doubt. He gets Khamzat Chimaev next in one of the more anticipated UFC middleweight title fights.
Zhang Weili: With all the talk of super fights in other divisions, it’s hard to ignore that for Weili. There aren’t many options, other than the winner of Yan Xiaonan and Virna Jandiroba, which is likely the case, but it may be time to talk about Weili vs. Valentina Shevchenko.
Tallison Teixeira: Teixeira made the most of his showcase fight and left the doubters in the dust. To enter the ranked conversation, without rushing him, the winner of Don’Tale Mayes and Valter Walker makes the most sense. They’ll be fighting Feburary 15.
Jake Matthews: Matthews’ UFC experience is unique based on his age, start date, and resume. He’s slowly becoming a more responsbilie and polished fighter and is entering the next level. If they want to give him a veteran, Michael Chiesa is a good option, but if he’s looking for a bigger fight, maybe graduating to Randy Brown makes sense.
Tom Nolan: You have to be impressed with Tom Nolan’s performance. It was a grueling fight against a solid striker and he made the most of any opportunity to gain an edge. Impressive cage IQ. The winner of Nazim Sadykhov and Ismael Bonfim makes sense here.
Losers
Sean Strickland: Strickland made the most of the last few years, but now it’s back to climbing the ladder. Some are calling for a rematch with Israel Adesanya, which makes sense. Another credible option is giving Imavov a chance to redeem his only loss since 2021.
Tatiana Suarez: It felt like this fight was rushed and the UFC gave her a chance to skip the line. Suarez has struggled with injuries and consistency, and throwing her into the fire did not pay off. She was scheduled to fight Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba last year, but ended up getting a title fight the following year. Mackenzie Dern makes a lot of sense here.
Justin Tafa: The interesting thing about Tafa is the UFC is in need of exciting heavyweights. They cut Jairzinho Rozenstruik, but have a long leash for others. If he sticks around, he could be in a do-or-die scenario against a non-ranked fighter. Mohammed Usman makes sense here.
Francisco Prado: The biggest fear with Prado is he looks like a brawler who is getting aunty-showcase fights against booming fighters. His style makes him a main card draw, similar to Tafa, but at some point, you have to give him a chance to succeed as well. If the weight cut isn’t too tough, moving back down to lightweight is the move.
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato: This fight ended in a majority draw after Crute dominated the first round. It was the most typical Crute fight you can imagine. Do people want to see the rematch? Highly unlikely, but both fighters looked good in terms of durability and excitment, and it will be interesting to see where the UFC goes after this one.
UFC 312 may not have had the names people hoped, but it was still a solid card. The prelims had a few bright spots and the main card provided some interesting options moving forward. Aleksandre Topuria, brother of featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, had a solid performance and so did Rongzhu.
The has UFC has 15-straight weeks of fights moving forward and should be able to give fans what they want. MMA now is all about weeding through the quantity to find quality, and it should be possible to do that moving forward.
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