Australian Fighters Shine in World Title Rematch at UFC 312

DDP leaves Strickland speechless | 00:53

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.

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.

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

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)