The UFC returns to the land down under for UFC 312 this Saturday, February 9. UFC 293 was the last PPV at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. This time, No. 1 Sean Strickland is once again the challenger in the main event but against current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
September 9, 2023, was the night that Sean Strickland’s life changed forever. Strickland shocked the world on that night when he beat former middleweight king Israel Adesanya to win his first championship. That night, Strickland went from controversial and talented contender to UFC champion. Since then, Strickland has gone 1-1. In January 2024, at UFC 297, Du Plessis beat Strickland by a split decision. Strickland bounced back with a victory over Paulo Costa in June 2024.
But Du Plessis has continued to level up since their first fight. He submitted Adesanya in the fourth round at UFC 305 in August. Du Plessis is 8-0 in the UFC and has finished four of his previous five opponents. Even when a fight doesn’t seem to go his way, Du Plessis always figures out how to come out on top. Du Plessis is the favorite in this bout at -218, while Strickland is +180 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
This event has two title fights on the card. The second one is in the co-main event, where Zhang Weili defends her Women’s Strawweight title against rising star No. 1 Tatiana Suarez. It is rare to see, but the challenger in this title fight is actually the favorite. Suarez is -120, and Weili is +100.
Weili is in his second reign as strawweight champion and is one of the best fighters in this division’s history. She won two title bouts in her first reign and has now won three title fights in a row. She beat Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300. Suarez possesses all the intangibles to stop Weili.
Suarez has a three-inch reach advantage and lands takedowns at an incredible 61 percent rate. Even on the feet, Suarez has the edge. She lands over 11 percent more significant strikes than Weili does. Suarez’s biggest obstacle in this contest is her inactivity. She hasn’t fought since August 2023 and has only had five fights in over six years.
Check out the full card 12-fight card below.
Main Card | 10 p.m. ET | ESPN+ PPV
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Dricus Du Plessis vs. #1 Sean Strickland Main Event | Championship Bout | 22-2 (8-0 UFC) vs. 29-6 (16-6 UFC) | Middleweight | -218 vs. +180 |
| (C) Zhang Weili vs. #1 Tatiana Suarez Championship Bout | 25-3 (9-2 UFC) vs. 10-0 (7-0 UFC) | W Stawweight | +100 vs. -120 |
| Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira | 7-4 (4-4 UFC) vs. 7-0 | Heavyweight | +124 vs. -148 |
| Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato | 12-4-1 (4-4-1 UFC)vs. 12-2 (1-0 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | +130 vs. -155 |
| Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado | 20-7 (13-7 UFC) vs. 11-2 (1-2 UFC) | Welterweight | -238 vs. -155 |
Prelims | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+/ ESPN2
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos | 13-3 (3-1 UFC) vs. 11-2 (1-2 UFC) | Welterweight | +195 vs. -238 |
| Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev | 8-1 (2-1 UFC)vs. 8-4-1 (3-3-1 UFC) | Lightweight | +100 vs. -120 |
| Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil | 6-1 (1-1 UFC) vs. 10-4-1 (2-2 UFC) | W Flyweight | -375 vs. +295 |
| Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria | 5-1 vs. 7-0 | W Flyweight | +285 vs. -360 |
Early Prelims | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN+
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Rongzhu vs. Kody Steele | 25-6 (1-3 UFC) vs. 7-0 | Lightweight | +235 vs. -290 |
| Jonathan Micallef vs. Kevin Jousset | 7-1 vs. 10-3 (2-1 UFC) | Welterweight | +200 vs. -245 |
| Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli | 7-1 vs. 7-1 (1-1 UFC) | Lightweight | -625 vs. +455 |
