Saturday night’s UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia featured nearly an hour of championship fights, but the lion’s share lacked a sense of thrilling uncertainty. Sean Strickland had pledged to seize his rerun title opportunity against middleweight titleholder Dricus du Plessis. Instead, Strickland failed to raise any feeling of impending threat. He found himself outmatched and dismantled, with a broken nose during the fourth round emphasizing the lopsidedness of the encounter.
In the co-main event, Zhang Weili, the reigning women’s strawweight champion, initially experienced a setback, taken down in the first round. While Tatiana Suarez, her brawny adversary, seemed temporarily to embody the wrestling apocalypse she was predicted to be. However, the tide turned quickly. Come the second round, Weili transformed into an unyielding force, effectively nullifying any subsequent wrestling attempts from Suarez.
Weili neutralized Suarez’s double-leg takedowns from the get-go. This forced her adversary to contend on Weili’s terms — this generally signified a standup battle and whenever they ended up on the mat, it was from a wearying bottom position. Early on, Zhang essentially divested Suarez of her typical fighting style, plunging her into a spontaneous crisis of self-evaluation.
Having dedicated nearly a decade to conquering her own physiological obstacles, Suarez aspired to clinch a title widely believed to be her destiny. However, the cruel reality dawned that there was no reward awaiting her efforts. Her skills and abilities were not superior. This stark realization drew parallels to the uncompromising truth often unveiled in traditional UFC pay-per-views.
Viewers were reminded of the clash between BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94. During that time, Penn, the thriving lightweight champion, bragged that after their first face-off at UFC 58, where Penn had an after-party while ‘GSP’ was hospitalized. ‘GSP’, in response, thoroughly snuffed out Penn’s attack, deflating him of any spark, essentially making a public spectacle of Penn’s delusions.
St-Pierre nullified Penn to such an extent that it resembled a lit candle gradually being snuffed out by a lid. The pervasive dominance could have led to an audience’s discontent, but respect for ‘GSP’ slowly overshadowed any whispers of dissatisfaction. The spectacle presented was Premiership fighters staking their claim as the best in the world, each delivering performances unmarred by the distractions of showmanship.
Jumping back to UFC 312, du Plessis and Strickland had faced off previously at UFC 297. Despite being out-performed in a five-round exchange, du Plessis emerged victorious with a split decision. The prospect of a rematch didn’t stir much anticipation, yet it happened. Their initial fight had been too close to call, suggesting a wider capability gap than what met the eye.
As it happened, du Plessis’ understanding of the situation was accurate. Despite spending an entire year strategizing against du Plessis’ unique offensive style, Strickland was found wanting. He was predictable and unable to establish a fighting tempo or put up enough resistance to make the fight competitive.
Although Strickland managed to last till the end to hear the result, it constituted more of a one-sided thrashing. This victory lines up a notable fight for du Plessis. The question remains: what is next for Strickland after such a defeat? And what lies ahead for Suarez, having spent her career asserting dominance inside the octagon, after enduring a comprehensive lesson from a formidable champion?
Will Suarez find the resolve to bounce back after the almost Herculean effort of simply making it this far? This question adds to the mental weight she carries with her on her long journey back across the Pacific.
Perhaps if du Plessis or Zhang had claimed decisive victories with overpowering finishes in their title defenses, the outcomes would have left a more lasting imprint. However, a steady and ruthless drubbing is impossible to overlook. Matches like these leave no room for plausible excuses.
Instead, they expose the stark distinction of skills and resilience, emphasizing the hierarchy of skill levels in the brutal yet fascinating world of UFC. Agenda-less, these battles offer an unvarnished spectacle, reflecting the hard truths both for the fighters and the audience, underlining the ever-present reality of levels in combat sports.