UFC Confirms Two Title Bouts for Striking Event UFC 312
During UFC 310, the organization announced the headliner and co-main event for UFC 312.
The main event will see Dricus du Plessis defending his UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland in a reprisal of their January encounter, where du Plessis dethroned Strickland during his first title defense. There were murmurs that Khamzat Chimaev might step in after his victory over Paulo Costa in June, but UFC President Dana White confirmed that Strickland would receive his rematch instead.
The co-main event will feature UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang defending her title against Tatiana Suarez. Zhang's upcoming defense will mark her third title defense, aiming to extend her win streak to five. Suarez was originally slated to meet Virna Jandiroba at UFC 310, but their fight was postponed without explanation. It seems Suarez has been redirected towards her long-awaited title challenge, as Zhang has largely dominated the strawweight division, with Suarez and Jandiroba being close competitors she hasn't conquered yet.
UFC 312 is scheduled for February 8, 2025, at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Du Plessis vs. Strickland 1 was close, but it didn't excite many viewers. Some even felt Strickland deserved the decision, which potentially helped secure him a rematch. Though not a blockbuster on paper, rematches are often booked, especially in close fights.
The Du Plessis-Strickland rematch might determine Strickland's future chances against du Plessis, as losing could rule out any chances of rematching. Chimaev might need to face another opponent before he can challenge the winner of Du Plessis-Strickland 2. Caio Borralho is one such contender keeping an eye out for an opportunity to advance.
Suarez became the top contender for several months due to injuries keeping her out of action since 2023. She has an intriguing upcoming battle against Zhang, as Suarez might be the only one in the strawweight division with a stronger ground game than the current champion.
Jandiroba seems to be left out for now. Yan Xiaonan can potentially be the next opponent for Jandiroba, with the winner being in line for a title shot following Suarez's challenge. Keep an eye on Iasmin Lucindo in the first half of 2025, as she has the potential to challenger for the title by the end of the year.
According to Tapology, here is a rundown of the UFC 312 confirmed card:
UFC 312 Confirmed Card
- (c) Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland – UFC Middleweight Championship
- (c) Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez – UFC Strawweight Championship
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Stewart Nicoll – Men’s Flyweight
- Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio – Light Heavyweight
- Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli – Lightweight
Some highlights and results from UFC 310 include:
UFC 310 Results And Bonus Winners
🏆 - Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Asakura via submission at 2:05 of the second round
Šavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision (48-47x3)
Ciryl Gane def. Alexander Volkov via split decision (29-28x2, 28-29)
Bryce Mitchell def. Kron Gracie via TKO at 0:39 of the third round
Doo Ho Choi def. Nate Landwehr via TKO at 3:21 of the third round
Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith via TKO at 4:46 of the second round
🏆 - Vicente Luque def. Themba Gorimbo via submission at 0:52 of the first round (D’Arce Choke)
Movsar Evloev def. Aljamain Sterling via unanimous decision (29-28x3)
Bryan Battle def. Randy Brown via split decision (29-28x2, 28-29)
Eryk Anders def. Chris Weidman via TKO at 2:50 of Round 2
Joshua Van def. Cody Durden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
Michael Chiesa defeats Max Griffin via submission at 1:56 of Round 3 (Rear-Naked Choke)
🏆 - Chase Hooper defeats Clay Guida via submission at 3:41 of Round 1 (Armbar)
🏆 - Kennedy Nzechukwu defeats Lukasz Brzeski via TKO at 4:51 of Round 1
Sean Strickland's next fight is a rematch against Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 312.Dana White confirmed that Strickland will get a rematch against du Plessis, despite Khamzat Chimaev being a potential option after his victory in UFC news.Weili Zhang's next fight is a title defense against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312. Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 could determine Strickland's future chances against du Plessis, as losing could rule out any rematch opportunities.The UFC 312 card features Dricus du Plessis defending his title against Sean Strickland in the main event.
