Du Plessis and Strickland run it back in Australia
• 2 min read
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.
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) -220 vs. Sean Strickland +180, middleweight title
- Tatiana Suarez -135 vs. Zhang Weili (c) +115, women’s strawweight title
- Tallison Teixeira -155 vs. Justin Tafa +130, heavyweights
- Rodolfo Bellato -150 vs. Jimmy Crute +125, light heavyweights
- Jake Matthews -240 vs. Francisco Prado +195, welterweights
- Gabriel Santos -230 vs. Jack Jenkins +190, featherweights
- Viacheslav Borshchev -120 vs. Tom Nolan +100, lightweights
- Wang Cong -355 vs. Bruna Brasil +280, women’s flyweights
- Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rongzhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via first-round knockout (punch)
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
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Campbell: Suarez can erase ‘what if’ stigma’ with win this weekend
- Brookhouse: Best bets to consider on Saturday
- Du Plessis believe he can ‘absolutely’ take don Khamzat Chimaev
- Mahjouri: Undercard fights to watch this weekend
- Campbell: Five biggest storylines to watch in Australia
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.
