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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
Setting The Table For Saturday’s Dual-Title PPV In Sydney, Australia
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X: @SpencerKyte
Whenever the UFC touches down in Australia, something memorable transpires.
From the introduction of the flyweight division and the first event to feature finishes in every bout, to Holly Holm shocking Ronda Rousey, and Sean Strickland doing the same to Israel Adesanya, whether the Octagon is erected in Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, or Sydney, each card seems to produce something that leaves fans flabbergasted or filled with energy, and this weekend’s return to Qudos Bank Arena shouldn’t be any different.
Headlined by a middleweight championship rematch with the strawweight title on the line in the co-main event, Saturday’s fight card offers an outstanding mix of emerging names and competitors from the Oceanic region, with several ticking off both boxes.
So let’s begin our journey towards this weekend’s pay-per-view with a look at the matchups set to hit the cage.
Middleweight Championship Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland
One year and 20 days after meeting in Toronto at UFC 297, Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland once again stand opposite one another with the middleweight title up for grabs.
Du Plessis makes his second consecutive start in Australia, looking to maintain his unbeaten record inside the Octagon and extend his overall winning streak to 11 as he defends his title for the second time. After claiming the belt in January, “Stillknocks” squared off with Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth last August, submitting “The Last Stylebender” to cement his standing atop the division and lay their rivalry to bed.
Strickland claimed the title with his own win over Adesanya in this very same building before dropping the belt at the outset of last year. He rebounded with a dominant effort over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in a fight that was incomprehensibly scored a split decision, and will look to join Adesanya as only the second man to hold the middleweight title twice by earning a measure of revenge over Du Plessis this weekend.
The initial meeting between these two was too close for words: a five-round battle where rounds were decided by the smallest of margins and a case could be made for either competitor doing enough to merit the victory. It was one of those instances where both men left everything in the Octagon, and it will be interesting to see whether the sequel plays out in a similar fashion or if either is able to dominate the action to the point where there are no questions about who should leave Australia with the title in tow.
Strawweight Championship Co-Main Event: Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez
Before Du Plessis and Strickland run it back, strawweight queen Zhang Weili defends her title against unbeaten challenger Tatiana Suarez in a fascinating co-main event matchup.
Zhang made just one appearance in 2024, but it was a memorable one, as the two-time titleholder rallied to defeat her compatriot Yan Xiaonan in a thrilling back-and-forth battle at UFC 300. The Chinese standout has now earned four straight victories and consecutive successful title defenses since reclaiming the belt towards the end of 2023, and will look to remain atop the division while handing Suarez her first professional loss this weekend in Sydney.
Long considered a future champion, the 34-year-old Suarez finally gets the opportunity to challenge for UFC gold. The former Olympic wrestling hopeful and Ultimate Fighter winner has earned six wins and four finishes since her time on the long-running reality TV competition, and looks to become the sixth woman to sit atop the 115-pound weight class by maintaining her unblemished record and turning back Zhang.
This is a fascinating contest on a number of levels, beginning with the stylistic dynamic between these two. Zhang has utilized her grappling and physicality more in recent bouts to control and subdue opponents, but Suarez is a phenomenal wrestler and grappler who has yet to be bested or tested on the canvas. There are also the contrasting questions about age and health, as Zhang is now 35 years old and closing in on 30 professional appearances, while Suarez has struggled to remain healthy and hasn’t fought since submitting Jessica Andrade in August 2023.
Will it be “And Still” or “And New” when this one is over?
Additional Main Card Matchups
Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira
Heavyweight finishers Justin Tafa and Tallison Teixeira clash in the final non-title bout of the evening at UFC 312 this weekend.
The 31-year-old Tafa looks to get things moving in the right direction again after his lone appearance of 2024 ended in a unanimous decision loss to Karl Williams. Sporting a 4-4 record with one no contest through his first nine Octagon appearances, the heavy-handed “Bad Man” has earned all of his victories by stoppage and will be looking for a second straight knockout win in Sydney after putting Austen Lane to sleep at UFC 293 the last time the promotion came to town.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’24, Teixeira ventures to Australia for his promotional debut this weekend. The towering Brazilian pushed his record to 7-0 with a first-round stoppage win to earn his contract, and will look to maintain his 100-percent finishing rate as he steps into the Octagon for the first time here.
There is an extremely high likelihood that someone gets knocked out in this one, and every second that ticks by before that transpires will be tense and captivating to watch.
Jimmy Crute vs Rodolfo Bellato
Australian light heavyweight Jimmy Crute makes his return to the Octagon in a home nation clash with Brazilian Rodolfo Bellato on Saturday in Sydney.
Crute rocketed into the Top 15 in the 205-pound weight class following his contract-winning effort on the second season of Dana White’s Contender Series, winning four of his first five fights. But a run of four straight fights without a victory, including three stoppage losses, prompted the still 28-year-old talent to press pause on his career in the summer of 2023.
It took Bellato two tries to make it onto the UFC roster through Dana White’s Contender Series, as he fell to Vitor Petrino in his first appearance before punching his ticket the following season with a win over Murtaza Talha. He made his promotional debut towards the end of 2023 in Austin, Texas, navigating some rough patches to stop Ihor Potieria, and will finally look to build on that result as he makes the walk for a second time here.
Forecasting what to expect from Crute after 18 months away is difficult, and how he looks could very well be the determining factor in how this fight plays out. Bellato is a game and powerful opponent who has only lost twice (both times to Petrino) and earned finishes in all but one of his dozen career wins. Expect fireworks early and to know a lot more about where each man stands in the always interesting light heavyweight ranks once the smoke clears.
Jake Matthews vs Francisco Prado
Jake Matthews welcomes Argentina’s Francisco Prado to the welterweight division for the first time in the opening bout of the UFC 312 pay-per-view main card.
The second longest tenured Australian on the roster behind Robert Whittaker, the 30-year-old Matthews makes his 21st appearance inside the Octagon this weekend. He’s alternated results over his last seven outings, but will look to buck that trend and build off his UFC 302 win over Phil Rowe while earning his third win in as many starts when competing in Sydney.
Prado moves up to the 170-pound ranks following a 1-2 run in the lightweight division, where he sandwiched a first-round stoppage win over Ottman Azaitar between decision loss to Jamie Mullarkey in his short-notice debut and Fight of the Night-winning clash with Daniel Zellhuber last February. Still just 22 years old, it will be interesting to see how the Miami-based youngster adjusts to his new division and handles himself in a clash with an experienced hand like Matthews.
While very much a “veteran versus prospect” matchup in terms of their individual experience in the Octagon, Matthews still feels like a prospect in some ways as a result of his early start with the promotion and the flashes of upside he’s continued to exhibit at times over the last couple years. Prado is an intriguing talent working with an emerging team at The Goat Shed, and a victory here would certainly elevate his standing heading into the thick of the 2025 UFC schedule.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Jack Jenkins vs Gabriel Santos
Featherweights close out the preliminary card slate as Jack Jenkins faces off with Gabriel Santos.
Jenkins made a triumphant return to action in August at UFC 305, using his signature pressure and punishing body shots to melt Herbert Burns and claim a third-round stoppage win. After dropping his first two appearances inside the Octagon to Lerone Murphy and David Obama, Santos finally put one in the win column last time out, getting the better of Yizha on the scorecards in September.
HyunSung Park vs Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
Road to UFC flyweight tournament winner HyunSung Park looks for his second UFC win while Season 2 non-tournament standout Nyamjargal Tumendemberel aims to bounce the South Korean from the ranks of the unbeaten by claiming his initial UFC victory.
Park cruised to the finals in the first RTU season, submitted SeungGuk Choi to win the competition, and then bested Shannon Ross in his promotional debut, moving to 9-0 with eight consecutive finishes in the process. Tumendemberel won a pair of bouts on RTU in 2023, but landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict in a bout with Carlos Hernandez back in November.
Aleksandre Topuria vs Colby Thicknesse
Aleksandre Topuria looks to follow in his younger brother’s footsteps as he makes his UFC debut against fellow debutant and short notice dance partner Colby Thicknesse.
The older brother of featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, “El Conquistador” is 5-1 as a pro, having earned three straight wins, all by first-round stoppage, heading into this one. Thicknesse tags in for Cody Haddon, sporting a 7-0 record and coming off a first-round stoppage win where he claimed the HEX Fight Series bantamweight title.
Tom Nolan vs Viacheslav Borshchev
It's a clash of Contender Series grads in the lightweight division as Tom Nolan squares off with Viacheslav Borshchev on Saturday’s prelims.
“Big Train” got tripped up in his promotional debut last January, but bounced back with a pair of victories over Victor Martinez and Alex Reyes to move to 8-1 overall. Borshchev has gone 3-3-1 over his first seven UFC starts, entering this weekend’s clash off a split decision win over another DWCS grad, James Llontop, in August.
Quillan Salkilld vs Anshul Jubli
Dueling 7-1 lightweights face off in Sydney as Quillan Salkilld and Anshul Jubli lock horns early in the fight card.
The 25-year-old Salkilld punched his ticket to the UFC with a unanimous decision win over Gauge Young last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, pushing his winning streak to seven in the process. After winning the first Road to UFC lightweight tournament with a finish of Jeka Saragih, Jubli landed on the wrong side of a stoppage result at UFC 294, falling to Mike Breeden.
Wang Cong vs Bruna Brasil
Wang Cong and Bruna Brasil meet in a fascinating flyweight pairing in Sydney on Saturday.
Wang garnered a ton of buzz with her RTU win in May and first-round knockout of Victoria Leonardo three months later, but landed on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets of the year in November when she was submitted by Gabriella Fernandes. After dropping her opening bout of 2024 in February, Brasil got herself back in the win column in July, venturing to Manchester and out-hustling Molly McCann across three rounds.
Jonathan Micallef vs Kevin Jousset
Kevin Jousset of France punches Song Kenan of China in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 09, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff
Recent DWCS grad Jonathan Micallef and French City Kickboxing representative Kevin Jousset meet in a battle of finishers in the welterweight division.
The 25-year-old Micallef cinched up a triangle choke on Canadian prospect Mohamed Ado to earn his spot on the roster and move to 7-1 overall, with five of those victories coming inside the distance. Jouset impressed in his first two outings, besting Kiefer Crosbie and Kenan Song, but was handed a stoppage loss on home soil by Bryan Battle back in September.
Rongzhu vs Kody Steele
Kody Steele punches Chasen Blair in a lightweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series season eight, week nine at UFC APEX on October 8, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris
This weekend’s fight card opens in the lightweight division, as Rongzhu welcomes Kody Steele to the Octagon for the first time in what should be an action-packed opener to the UFC 312 slate on Saturday.
Rongzhu’s official return to the UFC in September against Chris Padilla was halted late in the second round, after taking a gnarly elbow to the left eye forced it closed and rendered him unable to continue. A quality grappler with a perfect 7-0 record, Steele showcased his striking skills in his contract-winning turn against Chasen Blair on the penultimate episode of Dana White’s Contender Series last season.
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