DDP, Weili Next Opponents After UFC 312: Pereira? Valentina?

UFC 312 showed us all how tough it is to become a champion.

Dricus Du Plessis defended his middleweight title convincingly, breaking Sean Strickland's nose and pitching a 50-45 shutout on two of three scorecards. Khamzat Chimaev is clearly next for DDP, though the South African also teased a matchup with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.

Meanwhile, Zhang Weili stuffed takedowns and defended her belt against Tatiana Suarez. While the strawweight champ's future is less clear, there seems to be an appetite for a superfight vs Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight.

What's Next For Du plessis After UFC 312?

Speculative odds

Du Plessis has now defended his belt twice. He's knocked off Strickland twice and bested Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker during his undefeated surge to middleweight supremacy. There's really no one other than Khamzat left for him to fight, especially if DDP is as keen on legacy as his post-fight comments suggest.

The case for Khamzat Chimaev (-400)

As Jon Anik puts it, Chimaev is the most electric force in the UFC. He broke onto the scene in 2020 with some crazy performances, at one point fighting on back-to-back weekends, winning both fights without absorbing a strike. His combination of high-powered grappling and his fierce demeanor made him arguably the most hyped-up UFC prospect of all time.

Injuries, unavailability, and weight-cut issues have hindered Chimaev's progress, but now settled at middleweight, he seems poised for a future title clash with the champion Du Plessis.

First, Chimaev left no doubt he deserves the next shot after crushing Whittaker with a first-round submission at UFC 308. Secondly, the timing works perfectly for both DDP and Chimaev, who will be ready to fight in Abu Dhabi this October.

The Case For Alex Pereira (+350)

This fight hinges on Pereira defeating Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8. If Ankalaev wins, that will likely trigger a rematch, leaving Pereira occupied for all of 2025.

If Pereira wins at UFC 313 and Chimaev is unavailable in October, this is suddenly a great fight to make. There aren't a ton of great matchups for Pereira at LHW. Carlos Ulberg could be in title contention, but the DDP-Poatan fight will garner far greater interest from fans.

So we shall see. Talk to me after UFC 313.

What's Next For Weili After UFC 312?

Speculative odds

There aren't any exciting fights left for Weili at 115 pounds. She handled Suarez with ease and will presumably do the same to Brazilian grappler Virna Jandiroba. Jandiroba brings no name value to a title fight and also does nothing for Weili's legacy.

Shevchenko is the fight to make, but that will depend on how the 125-pound division unfolds. Valentina is presumably set to defend her belt vs Manon Fiorot, a fierce challenger, sometime this summer. If Fiorot snatches the belt, we'll likely see a rematch. Again, a Weili vs Fiorot fight isn't as impactful. 

Shevchenko needs to reclaim the title for Weili’s move up in weight to make sense, and that’s far from guaranteed. Even so, a showdown between Valentina and Weili remains the most compelling scenario.