UFC 312 results: Matches to make for ‘du Plessis vs. Strickland 2’ main card winners

UFC 312 went down last night (Sat., Feb. 8, 2025) inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, which featured a Middleweight championship rematch that saw Dricus du Plessis defeat Sean Strickland via unanimous decision, breaking his nose in the process (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, Zhang Weili defended her women’s Strawweight title by dominating Tatiana Suarez for 25 minutes.

Winner: Dricus du Plessis

Who He Should Face Next: Khamzat Chimaev

Yes, Nassourdine Imavov did look impressive last weekend by knocking out former 185-pound champion, Israel Adesanya, and I did suggest UFC book a title eliminator fight between he and Chimaev, but upon further review it’s “Borz’s” time to shine. Indeed, many have longed for the chance to see him fight for the title, and he is more than deserving after building a mint 14-0 record, including winning all eight of his UFC bouts. He hasn’t been overly-active throughout his UFC career, but something tells me he will make sure he does all he can to make to a potential title fight.

Winner: Zhang Weili

Who She Should Face Next: Valentina Shevchenko (according to this)

Zhange secured her third straight title defense by taking out the previously-undefeated Suarez. Two women who could be in line to face her in her next title defense will be Yan Xiaonan and Virna Jandiroba, who are set to throw down at UFC 314 on April 12. Xiaonan is currently ranked No. 2 in the division, while Jandiroba is right behind her at No. 3. But the fight that seems to be generating more buzz, and rightfully so, is a champion vs. champion bout against current women’s Flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. They are arguably No. 1 and No. 2 when it comes to the best female fighters on the planet, so it does make sense to book them against one another to find out once and for all.

Winner: Talisson Teixeira

Who He Should Face Next: Shamil Gaziev

Teixeira had himself an explosive UFC debut by blasting Justin Tafa into oblivion in the very first round (highlights). For those keeping count, that is now eight straight first-round stoppage wins to kick off his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. It’s easy to get excited when you see a big man with this potential, but we have to temper expectations because high hopes were had for Robelis Despaigne, who came out guns blazing just like Teixeira in his first UFC fight, and now finds himself out of the promotion after two straight defeats. For Teixeira, a fight against Gaziev good be a good option for his sophomore effort. Gaziev is 301 inside the Octagon, with the Contender Series alum coming off a big knockout win over Thomas Petersen earlier this year.

Winner: Jake Matthews

Who He Should Face Next: Punahele Soriano

For the first time in five years, Matthews secured back-to-back wins after defeating Francisco Prado via unanimous decision after a hard-fought, 15-minute battle. And it was a huge win in more ways than one because it was his first main card fight on a major pay-per-view (PPV) event. Now, “The Celtic Kid” will look for consecutive win number three in his next outing possibly against Soriano, who is also on a two-fight win streak with his most recent win coming against Uros Medic via first-round knockout last month (see it again here).

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