Stillknocks, Tarzan throw down again

Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland will battle for the middleweight championship again when they meet in the main event of UFC 312, set for the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, on the morning of Sunday 9 February 2025.

Du Plessis (22-2) defeated Strickland (29-6) via split decision at UFC 297 just over a year ago to win the middleweight title. The triumph was a controversial one for ‘Stillknocks’, with many pundits arguing that ‘Tarzan’ had inflicted more damage and should have been declared the victor.

Du Plessis has since gone on to defend the title once, defeating Israel Adesanya in Perth in August 2024, while Strickland earned himself a shot at reclaiming the belt thanks to a split decision win over Paulo Costa in June.

Former middleweight title contender Jared Cannonier, who defeated Strickland in late 2022, has backed ‘Tarzan’ to win this rematch: “The first one was close. I see Sean coming back with a bit more fire in his belly, but it was close last time. I think Sean did more damage last time as well. I think he’s going to take that momentum that he did more damage and really try to close the deal in their next fight.”

Cannonier continued, “If he catches Du Plessis off-balance, maybe rushing in, catches him with a nice stiff jab or a counter-slip jab, or slip-whatever, you know how he does his thing, puts him on his heels with his teeps and stuff, and keeps the pressure on, I think Sean can get it done.”

The women’s strawweight championship will also be up for grabs, as Zhang Weili (25-3) looks to make a third straight successful title defence when she faces the unbeaten Tatiana Suarez (10-0).

Suarez, 34, has had her career badly hit by injury, but her dominance in the Octagon through the years suggests that she will be a formidable challenger.

“My mental strength is second to none,” Suarez said. “I think that plays a huge factor in fighting in general. When the bright lights shine, so do I. I always rise to the occasion, and I have so much experience in another sport, too. I wrestled my whole life. I’ve had so much pressure put on me my entire life.”

The rest of the main card features New Zealander Justin Tafa facing Tallison Texiera in the heavyweight division; and Australian fighters Jimmy Crute and Jake Matthews will take on Rodolfo Bellato (light heavyweight) and Francisco Prado (welterweight) respectively.

UFC 312 – Main card

- Main event: Middleweight championship: Dricus du Plessis v Sean Strickland

- Co-main: Women’s strawweight championship: Zhang Weili v Tatiana Suarez

- Heavyweight: Justin Tafa v Tallison Texiera

- Light heavyweight: Jimmy Crute v Rodolfo Bellato

- Welterweight: Jake Matthews v Francisco Prado