UFC 312 takeaways: Du Plessis-Strickland 2 didn't need to happen

Dricus Du Plessis retained the UFC middleweight title in his rematch with Sean Strickland on Saturday, earning a unanimous decision win over the former champion in the UFC 312 main event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

In the co-main event, strawweight champ Zhang Weili handed Tatiana Suarez her first career loss in one of the most impressive performances of the year so far.

Here are four takeaways from the pay-per-view card.

Strickland didn't belong in rematch with Du Plessis

As Du Plessis beat Strickland again - this time more dominantly than the first - I couldn't help but think it should've been Khamzat Chimaev in there with him instead.

Sure, dominating the rematch of a very close fight is a nice feather to have in Du Plessis' cap. But let's be honest: Du Plessis-Strickland 2 wasn't exactly in high demand going into Saturday. After the way it played out, it's clear there were better options for Du Plessis' second title defense.

Strickland's performance was subpar at best. He had a lower output than usual and struggled to get out of first gear. Strickland's 128 significant strikes were the fewest he's landed in a five-round fight that went the distance. In comparison, Strickland landed 173 in the first Du Plessis fight, 182 against Paulo Costa, 137 against Israel Adesanya, and 182 against Nassourdine Imavov.

All it took for Strickland to secure another title shot was a split-decision win over Costa last June. Chimaev, meanwhile, destroyed Robert Whittaker with one of the most violent submissions in recent memory and still got passed up as the No. 1 contender. Hopefully, the UFC will learn from its mistake and book Du Plessis-Chimaev next, because that's the fight that should've happened in the first place.

Zhang shouldn't be overlooked again

Zhang is a four-time defending champion and, yet, there was still room for her stock to rise significantly at UFC 312.

Her dominant win over Suarez felt unexpected, but maybe it shouldn't have. After all, this is the fighter who blitzed Jessica Andrade, won a Fight of the Year against Joanna Jedrzejczyk and then knocked her out with a spinning backfist in the rematch, ran through Carla Esparza, and who - outside of two losses to Rose Namajunas in 2021 that now feel like anomalies - is perfect in the Octagon.

The truth is, so many people thought this was going to be Suarez's long-awaited coronation. She was the betting favorite, which is rarely the case for challengers in UFC title bouts. Zhang was the underdog for just the second time in 12 UFC fights. But that wasn't because Zhang isn't an incredibly skilled and well-rounded champion; it was a testament to how good we thought Suarez was.

But Zhang shut Suarez down in a big way. Suarez won the first round on all three judges' scorecards and then Zhang swept the rest, including a 10-8 in the fifth round on one scorecard. She punished Suarez on the feet and exceeded expectations on the ground, becoming the first to take her down in the Octagon and racking up over 10 minutes of control time. Zhang's physical strength was one of the many difference-makers in this fight.

Let's take Saturday's co-main event as a lesson: never, ever underestimate Zhang Weili. She'll make you - and her opponent - pay.

Shevchenko-Zhang is the fight to make

After such an impressive performance, Zhang moving up a division to fight women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is suddenly a very intriguing option.

Zhang has all but cleared out the 115-pound division, with Virna Jandiroba being the lone top-five strawweight she has yet to face. Zhang, who first won the title in 2019 and then reclaimed it in 2022, is more than deserving of a chance to make history. And UFC CEO Dana White, who called Shevchenko-Zhang "a possibility" after Saturday's card, seems to agree.

Shevchenko, on the other hand, does have a clear-cut No. 1 contender waiting for a title shot: Manon Fiorot. But although Shevchenko-Fiorot is a tremendous fight itself, it might just have to wait.

Strike while the iron is hot.

A banger on the prelims

UFC 312 wasn't a good card by any means. Nine of 12 fights went the distance, and even the main event was a bit of a bore. But one of the bright spots was the undercard matchup between Rongzhu and Kody Steele.

The two young lightweights traded haymakers for three straight rounds and ended the fight with a Max Holloway versus Justin Gaethje-esque exchange. It was incredible stuff. If you missed the card, go back and watch this fight.