5 fights to make after UFC 312: Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2

The UFC's latest pay-per-view is in the books. Fans in Sydney, Australia were treated to a largely mid-level event in the end, with a handful of memorable moments.

UFC 312: Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 featured little in the way of explosive finishes, but a handful of fighters still produced some strong performances.

What's next for those fighters, including two reigning champions? There are a handful of fascinating options.

Here are five fights to make following UFC 312: Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2.

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#5. UFC middleweight bout: Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker

It's safe to say that UFC 312 did not go to plan for Sean Strickland. Not only did he fail to regain the middleweight title from Dricus du Plessis, but he also got his nose busted in the fourth round by the South African.

More to the point, his largely unexciting approach probably failed to gain 'Tarzan' some new fans, too. The chances of him climbing back into contention instantly are now slim.

Strickland could face another rematch next, if the matchmakers choose to pair him with Nassourdine Imavov, who beat Israel Adesanya last weekend.

However, keeping Strickland away from potential contenders for the time being might be smarter. Therefore, a good fight for him could be former champ Robert Whittaker, who was last seen in a nasty submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in October.

'The Reaper' has beaten all but three fighters at 185 pounds - Adesanya, du Plessis and Chimaev. Interestingly, he's never fought Strickland before.

With both men likely to be out for a stretch to recover from their respective injuries, then, this bout could make plenty of sense for the latter half of 2025.

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#4. UFC welterweight bout: Jake Matthews vs. Neil Magny

It's always easier for the UFC's matchmakers if a fighter calls out a specific opponent following their latest win in the octagon. That's just what Jake Matthews did last night.

'The Celtic Kid' produced a solid showing, using his sharper boxing to outpoint prospect Francisco Prado across three rounds. The win was his third in four fights since the start of 2023.

Matthews called out gatekeeper Neil Magny after the bout, and that fight would be an intriguing one.

It'd also be a different feel for 'The Haitian Sensation'. Magny has been used in recent years to face off with rising prospects, either turning them away with a defeat or suffering a loss in his own right to push them into the top 15.

Matthews is not a rising prospect at this point, but Magny has recently fallen out of the rankings in his own right and has only won one of his last four fights.

Essentially, 'The Haitian Sensation' needs a chance to rebound, and a fight with Matthews would offer him that. If 'The Celtic Kid' could win, meanwhile, he could usurp Magny as the 170-pound division's premier gatekeeper.

Overall, then, this would be a fight that would make a lot of sense to book.

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#3. UFC heavyweight bout: Tallison Teixeira vs. Jhonata Diniz

Right now, the UFC's heavyweight division is painfully thin. That's why it was so important for Tallison Teixeira to make good on his octagon debut last night.

With a record of 7-0, a strong showing on Dana White's Contender Series, and a good level of physicality for the division, 'Xicao' appeared to have a lot of potential.

Thankfully, he delivered the goods in Sydney, closing out Justin Tafa in under a minute with a nasty knockout.

Right now, the heavyweight division is so thin that it'd probably make sense for the UFC to simply shove Teixeira right up the ladder, giving him a chance of cracking the top 15 in his second bout.

Therefore, the opponent who makes sense is No.15-ranked Jhonata Diniz. The Brazilian is relatively inexperienced, being 8-1 in MMA and 2-1 in the octagon, and he is coming off a loss to Marcin Tybura. Realistically, he doesn't belong in the rankings.

However, the thin nature of the division means he's there, and so if Teixeira could knock him off, it'd be a good starting point for him to attempt to climb into contention.

This isn't the most thrilling-sounding fight, of course, but at heavyweight right now, it's probably the best that the matchmakers could do without rushing 'Xicao'.

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#2. UFC strawweight title: Zhang Weili vs. Virna Jandiroba

Despite coming into her title defense against Tatiana Suarez as an underdog, Zhang Weili proved once and for all that she's the best strawweight in the UFC last night.

After a tough first round, 'Magnum' thoroughly dominated the previously unbeaten Suarez, claiming a clear-cut unanimous decision victory. The win was her third successful title defense in a row.

So who should be next for the Chinese star? Perhaps the most intriguing fight for her right now would be Mackenzie Dern. The grappling ace looked much improved in a win over Amanda Ribas in January, and is probably the most marketable fighter at 115 pounds.

However, the truth is that Dern just isn't ready for Weili right now, and throwing her into a title fight could do her more harm than good.

Therefore, No.3-ranked Virna Jandiroba might make more sense. She's on a four-fight win streak, and while she does have a loss to Dern on her record, she's still a solid fighter with a tricky grappling game.

Would anyone really give her a shot of beating Weili? In all honesty, no, as 'Magnum' is on another level right now. But as a 'challenger of the month' while Dern is allowed to build herself up a little more, the Brazilian could definitely work.

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#1. UFC middleweight title: Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Following his win over Sean Strickland last night - his second successful middleweight title defense - Dricus du Plessis was quick to call out his next opponent.

'Stillknocks' challenged current light-heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira in a champion vs. champion fight, and on the face of it, that fight could be fun.

However, right now, the UFC absolutely should not go for it.

Firstly, 'Poatan' has a date next month with Magomed Ankalaev, and who knows if he'll get through that fight in the first place.

Secondly, the middleweight division has a massively intriguing top contender right now in the form of Khamzat Chimaev. 'Borz' looked like a force of nature in his last fight, tearing right through Robert Whittaker in a way that nobody had ever done before.

In many ways, it should've been him, and not Strickland headlining UFC 312 against du Plessis last night. Allowing the South African to fight anyone but Chimaev next, to be frank, would be ridiculous.

Therefore, the promotion needs to find out exactly when 'Borz' is going to be ready, and book the next middleweight title fight around him.

If du Plessis can somehow find a way to stop the Chechnyan, then the matchmakers should give him anything he wants. Based on what Chimaev did to Whittaker, though, the chances of that don't seem too good.