UFC is back in Australia this weekend with a pair of title fights atop the marquee. It’s a big one in Sydney when middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis takes on former champion Sean Strickland in the main event. Plus, women’s strawweight queen Zhang Weili returns to take on arguably her toughest opponent left in the division in Tatiana Suarez.
The pair of middleweights battled it out 13 months ago in a Fight of the Night effort that saw du Plessis take the title by split decision. The South African followed that up with a surprising submission of former champion Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis is 8-0 inside the Octagon with each performance standing out more and more. Strickland earned his chance at a rematch with a thorough win over Paulo Costa.
The co-main event might be as dramatic when Zhang and Suarez meet. Zhang has not been super active of late with just four fights since June 2022. Her last win came in April when she battled past fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan. Suarez, meanwhile, has had her own problems with inactivity because of injuries throughout her career. Her last fight came in August 2023 when she submitted former champion Jessica Andrade.
The card will also feature some familiar names to the Oceanic region. Welterweight veteran Jake Matthews is back in action when he takes on Francisco Prado. Light heavyweight vet Jimmy Crute looks to pick up his first win since 2020 when he takes on Rodolfo Bellato. And heavyweight Justin Tafa returns to face off against Tallison Teixeira.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 312 along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 312 fight card, odds
- Dricus du Plessis (c) -210 vs. Sean Strickland +175, middleweight title
- Tatiana Suarez -120 vs. Zhang Weili (c) +100, women’s strawweight title
- Tallison Teixeira -130 vs. Justin Tafa +110, heavyweights
- Rodolfo Bellato -170 vs. Jimmy Crute +140, light heavyweights
- Jake Matthews -230 vs. Francisco Prado +190, welterweights
- Gabriel Santos -230 vs. Jack Jenkins +190, featherweights
- Hyunsung Park -230 vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel +190, flyweights
- Aleksandre Topuria -425 vs. Cody Haddon +330, bantamweights
- Viacheslav Borshchev -135 vs. Tom Nolan +115, lightweights
- Quillan Salkilld -550 vs. Anshul Jubli +400, lightweights
- Wang Cong -500 vs. Bruna Brasil +380, women’s flyweights
- Kevin Jousset -250 vs. Jonathan Micallef +200, welterweights
UFC 312 info
- Date: Feb. 8
- Location: Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, Australia
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 312 countdown
Who wins UFC 312: du Plessis vs. Strickland 2, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
Read the full article here