In the co-main event this past Saturday at UFC 312, the strawweight title was on the line. The champion Zhang Weili (26-3) found herself in unfamiliar territory as she was the betting underdog against challenger Tatiana Suarez (10-1).
Zhang Weili is one of the best to ever do it and I was shocked to see her as the betting underdog on Saturday night. However, Tatiana Suarez is massive for the strawweight division and she’s easily the best and most dominant wrestler that Weili has ever faced inside the octagon.
In the first round, that wrestling advantage seemed to show. Suarez got a takedown and looked huge on top of the smaller champion. Weili reversed the position at the end of the first round but it was a round for the challenger. The path was clear for Suarez, but Zhang Weili was geared up to show her how tough it truly is at the top.
From the second round on, Suarez had no success with her wrestling and she got tired quick. Weili completely lit her up on the feet and when Suarez would shoot, it was Weili who would use her grappling to take Suarez down. Rounds two through five were a beating and when the cards were read at the end of five rounds, Weili looked fresh while Suarez looked battered. A dominant win for the champion at UFC 312.
What’s next after UFC 312?
Zhang Weili has essentially cleared out the strawweight division. This was her third successful title defense of her second title reign and now, there’s not really any compelling challengers. Suarez by far looked like the toughest challenge in the division and Weili put a brutal beating on her for four of the five rounds.
In terms of what’s next for the UFC strawweight champion, it should be a battle for the title of P4P best. Weili should move up to flyweight and face fellow legend Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title. The two best P4P female fighters in the world should face off for the flyweight title to determine who is really the best. Nothing else makes sense at the moment for Weili and I expect that this is the fight that will be made.