On Saturday, Dricus Du Plessis is defending his Middleweight Championship against Sean Strickland at UFC 312. The PPV is taking place in Sydney, Australia. Tatiana Suarez aims to become Women’s Strawweight Champion when she takes on Zhang Weili in the co-main event.
Here are my two best bets for UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 on Saturday night.
Dricus Du Plessis KO/TKO or Submission (+200)
Although Du Plessis beat Strickland in a very close decision, he seems more motivated to make a statement on Saturday. He has finished six of his eight UFC opponents. After Strickland dictated the pace for much of their first fight, Du Plessis must have a stronger start if he wants a better performance.
Strickland has won four of his last five fights, but he has been knocked out in the past. His previous knockout defeat came at UFC 276 against Alex Pereira. Strickland has been finished in two of his last four losses. Du Plessis is a -218 favorite, with Strickland being the +180 underdog in this contest.
If Du Plessis implements more takedown attempts early in this contest while receiving less damage on the feet, he will have a great chance to finish this fight.
Tallison Teixeira to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+100)
There are a ton of UFC debutants on this card. Teixeira is the lone newcomer on the main card. He is facing Justin Tafa in the third-to-last fight. Teixeira is 7-0 with seven finishes in his MMA career. He knocked out Arthur Lopes in the first round in his appearance during Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
During his career, Teixeira has never fought past the first round. Teixeira has massive advantages in reach (83″ vs. 74″) and height (6’7″ vs. 6’0″) against Tafa. Although he is a -148 favorite on the moneyline, getting Teixeira by KO/TKO at +100 is wise since he is a finishing machine.
