UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 took place earlier today in Sydney, Australia, headlined by two title fights—a rematch between current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champion Sean Strickland, as well as a women’s strawweight title fight between current champion Zhang Weili and undefeated top-ranked contender Tatiana Suarez.
In the main event, Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Strickland. Du Plessis had won their first fight by split decision at UFC 297 in January 2024 to claim the title, but this time, the outcome was far more decisive, with Du Plessis winning on all scorecards. He maintained relentless pressure throughout the fight, using his high tempo to keep Strickland on the defensive. The defining moment came in the fourth round when Du Plessis landed a heavy right hand that broke Strickland’s nose, causing blood to quickly pour out. Despite pushing for a finish, he was unable to find it and continued landing strikes until the final bell. Having now defeated former champions Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, Du Plessis is expected to face a top middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev or Nassourdine Imavov, both of whom have recent wins by finishes over former champions.
In the co-main event, Zhang Weili successfully defended her women’s strawweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated Tatiana Suarez. Zhang showcased her takedown defense, stuffing 14 of 15 attempts, and outstriking Suarez by a one-sided margin of 251 to 61. With this win, Zhang ties UFC Hall of Famer Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the most strawweight title fight wins (six). Suarez found early success, securing a takedown in the first round and controlling Zhang for most of the round, winning the round on all scorecards. However, Zhang quickly adjusted, dominating the remainder of the fight both on the feet and on the ground. Looking ahead, Zhang could move up to flyweight, where she would immediately challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the title, aiming to become a two-division champion.
UFC 312 Fight Card Results
- Dricus Du Plessis (c) def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
- Zhang Weili (c) def. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
- Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via TKO (strikes) at 0:35 of Round 1
- Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute ends in majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-27)
- Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:06 of Round 3
- Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rongzhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Quilland Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via KO (right hand) at 0:19 of Round 1
