The UFC is back down under in Sydney, with Dricus du Plessis defending his middleweight crown against Sean Strickland in a highly-anticipated rematch.
UFC 312: Du Plessis v Strickland 2 | SUN 9 FEB | UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis is headed back Down Under for yet another title defence, with the South African set to face Sean Strickland in a blockbuster UFC 312 headliner in Sydney. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.
Elsewhere, the co-main event sees another title go on the line as Zhang Weili looks to defend her strawweight belt and hand Tatiana Suarez the first loss of her professional career.
Plus, eight Australians feature across Sunday’s card.
Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know ahead of UFC 312!
HOW TO WATCH
Aussie fight fans can catch all the action for UFC 312 LIVE on Main Event via Kayo. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.
WHEN IS IT?
UFC 312 takes place on Sunday 9 February at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
START TIME (ALL TIMES AEDT)
The action gets underway early on Sunday morning with the early prelims commencing at 10am.
The prelims will follow from 12pm before the main card at 2pm.
Expect du Plessis and Strickland to make their walk to the octagon just after 4pm.
DDP wins skolling contest in his jocks! | 02:09
WHAT’S ON THE LINE?
In the main event, du Plessis will look to successfully defend his belt against Strickland as the pair run it back, with the South African hoping to extend his fight win streak to 11.
Meanwhile, Strickland is the No. 1 ranked middleweight contender and is out to dethrone du Plessis and win back his title.
The co-main event pits strawweight champion Weili against undefeated No. 1 ranked contender Suarez, who holds wins against Jessica Andrade, Montana De La Rosa, and Carla Esparza.
For Weili, it will be her third consecutive title defence.
Elsewhere, while none of the Australians on the card are competing for titles or in the picture to do so, a win on Sunday could be career-defining.
For Justin Tafa, who faces Tallison Teixeira on the main card, a battle with injuries last year derailed his momentum, making Sunday’s fight even more important as he looks to put himself back in the frame for a shot at heavyweight gold.
Jimmy Crute will also be just as desperate to have his hand raised when he fights Rodolfo Bellato.
Crute looked on the verge of retiring from the UFC the last time he stepped in the octagon. Instead, he decided to take time away from the sport and now Crute, who was in 2020 ranked ESPN’s best MMA fighter under 25, is hoping to get his career back on track.
Fellow Australians Jake Matthews and Jack Jenkins will also be looking to capitalise on recent wins as they build towards potential fights against ranked opponents, while Colby Thicknesse, Jonathan Micallef and Quillan Salkilld make their UFC debuts.
Emotional Crute pumped to be back | 01:58
BETTING ODDS (via TAB)
Main card
Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Sean Strickland
TBD
Zhang Weili (c) vs. Tatiana Suarez
TBD
Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
Tafa $2.15 to win, $2.60 to win via KO/TKO, $10.00 via decision, $26.00 via submission
Teixeira $1.72 to win, $2.20 to win via KO/TKO, $9.00 via decision, $10.00 via submission
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato
Crute $2.30 to win, $6.00 to win via KO/TKO, $3.75 via decision, $13.00 via submission
Bellato $1.60 to win, $2.60 to win via KO/TKO, $7.50 via decision, $5.50 via submission
Preliminary card
Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
Matthews $1.43 to win, $7.50 to win via KO/TKO, $4.75 via decision, $21.00 via submission
Prado $2.75 to win, $6.50 to win via KO/TKO, $2.20 via decision, $5.00 via submission
Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos
Jenkins $2.90 to win, $5.00 to win via KO/TKO, $5.00 via decision, $6.50 via submission
Santos $1.41 to win, $3.75 to win via KO/TKO, $5.00 via decision, $6.50 via submission
Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Nolan $2.00 to win, $3.75 to win via KO/TKO, $6.50 via decision, $8.00 via submission
Borshchev $1.80 to win, $2.40 to win via KO/TKO, $5.00 via decision, $26.00 via submission
Strickland’s moment of BRUTAL honesty | 01:22
Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil
Wang $1.26 to win, $3.25 to win via KO/TKO, $1.85 via decision, $15.00 via submission
Brasil $3.90 to win, $12.00 to win via KO/TKO, $7.50 via decision, $13.00 via submission
Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria
Thicknesse $3.90 to win, $15.00 to win via KO/TKO, $6.50 via decision, $12 via submission
Topuria $1.26 to win, $2.10 to win via KO/TKO, $6.00 via decision, $4.00 via submission
Early Prelims
Kody Steele vs. Rongzhu
Steele $1.42 to win, $4.00 to win via KO/TKO, $3.75 via decision, $3.75 via submission
Rongzhu $2.85 to win, $4.25 to win via KO/TKO, $8.50 via decision, $19 via submission
Jonathan Micallef vs. Kevin Jousset
Micallef $3.05 to win, $10.00 to win via KO/TKO, $4.50 via decision, $13.00 via submission
Jousset $1.38 to win, $3.00 to win via KO/TKO, $2.60 via decision, $10.00 via submission
Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli
Salkilld $1.16 to win, $3.00 to win via KO/TKO, $3.25 via decision, $3.50 via submission
Jubli $5.00 to win, $11.00 to win via KO/TKO, $8.00 via decision, $17.00 via submission
Hyun Sung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
Park $1.42 to win, $3.25 to win via KO/TKO, $4.00 via decision, $5.50 via submission
Tumendemberel $2.80 to win, $6.00 to win via KO/TKO, $5.50 via decision, $7.50 via submission
UFC 312 FULL FIGHT CARD
Main card (from 2pm)
Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Sean Strickland (middleweight)
Zhang Weili (c) vs. Tatiana Suarez (strawweight)
Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira (heavyweight)
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato (light heavyweight)
Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado (welterweight)
Preliminary card (from 12pm)
Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos (featherweight)
Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (lightweight)
Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil (flyweight)
Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria (bantamweight)
Early prelims (from 10am)
Kody Steele vs. Rongzhu (lightweight)
Jonathan Micallef vs. Kevin Jousset (welterweight)
Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli (lightweight)
Hyun Sung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (flyweight)
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