UFC 312 is slim pickings compared to last month’s pay-per-view. UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland and UFC women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez is a solid one-two punch, but the card is lacking from there.
Saturday’s two title challengers are the only ranked contenders on the entire card. By contrast, last week’s UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia had eight fighters in the UFC’s official rankings. Absent star power or stakes, the most compelling undercard fights in Sydney this weekend involve prospects.
Aleksandre Topuria, brother of reigning UFC featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, makes his debut against Alexander Volkanovski’s teammate. Another fighter to keep an eye on his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Kody Steele, who is undefeated in seven professional mixed martial arts fights.
With some apathy, take a look at the three non-title fights that stand out most on UFC 312.
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato
Crute vs. Bellato is the best non-title fight on Saturday’s main card. Crute was a solid light heavyweight, starting his UFC career by going 4-1 with four stoppages. Then everything fell apart. Crute enters UFC 312 without a win in his last four fights. He was stopped by Anthony Smith and Jamahal Hill, and drew Alonzo Menifield before being knocked out in their rematch. His UFC career might be at stake against Bellato, a fellow “Contender Series” veteran who earned a Fight of the Night KO against Ihor Potieria in his UFC debut. Crute and Bellato’s fights end inside the distance 87% of the time. A down and out veteran and an intriguing contender duke it out.
Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria
The UFC welcomes its second Topuria. Fair or not, comparisons will be made in a family of athletes. Aleksandre (5-1) fights at bantamweight, one weight class below his brother Ilia. Aleksandre and Ilia finish nearly every fight by KO or submission, though Ilia’s success has scaled to the highest level. The biggest thing going against Aleksandre is his experience. Both brothers started competing at the same time in 2015, but Ilia has nearly three times as many fights as his older brother. This is due mainly due to a six year break Aleksandre took after his lone loss that same year.
Thicknesse (7-0) makes his UFC debut on short notice, filling in for Cody Haddon. His introduction adds a dramatic flare to the fight. Thicknesse trains with former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, the man Ilia knocked out to win the title. Thicknesse — who has a near equal split of KOs, submissions and decisions — told Code Sports he seeks a finish to avenge Volkanovski. Storylines are a major weakness in modern UFC, but here’s an interesting narrative thread on the preliminary card.
Rongzhu vs. Kody Steele
Steele (7-0) has really rounded out his game since jumping from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to MMA. A black belt whose tangled with Tye Ruotolo and Nicky Ryan, Steele has won more than half of his pro MMA fights by KO. He makes his UFC debut after a second-round body punch stoppage on “Contender Series.” The promotion lined up a significant first test for him. Rongzhu (25-6) has more than four times as much MMA experience despite being five years younger. Rongzhu got a second chance with the promotion after a winning effort on Road to UFC, but was stopped by Chris Padilla in his UFC return. This is a worthwhile pairing between an exciting prospect and a veteran trying to capitalize on his second chance.
Honorable mention: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
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