*Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland both celebrate following their first matchup. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

The UFC heads down under to Sydney, Australia, with a fantastic pay-per-view card. Filled throughout with local talent, powerful finishers, and rising stars, this card is sure to deliver. In the co-main event, we’ll see the powerful grappler Tatiana Suarez receive her long-awaited title shot against the dominant Strawweight champion, Zhang Weili. In the main event, there’s a rematch of epic proportions when the brash fan favorite Sean Strickland faces off again against current titleholder Dricus Du Plessis. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado

*Jake Matthews stuns André Fialho with a cracking right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Welterweight Bout

Jake Matthews: 20-7-0, 5 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Francisco Prado: 12-2-0, 6 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Matthews has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over André Fialho (16-9-0), Li Jingliang (19-9-0), and Phil Rowe (10-5-0). A member of the UFC since 2014, he initially established himself as a grappler, possessing a black belt in BJJ and averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes. Lately, though, he’s shown a considerable uptick in aggression on the feet, being more than willing to brawl in the pocket. Training at Nexus, Matthews uses technical kickboxing and stays behind his jab, often trying to draw his opponent in so he can counterstrike. He varies his attacks well, has a solid chin, and throws everything with power without loading up. He has power in both hands, superb accuracy, and doesn’t often overreach, typically remaining patient and picking his shots. When Matthews does take it to the mat, he has great takedowns, excellent top control, and throws heavy ground and pound.

*Francisco Prado lands a brutal spinning elbow on Ottman Azaitar. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Prado has won three of his last five bouts and has a UFC victory over Ottman Azaitar (13-3-0). He’s an explosive striker who throws every shot with power and is constantly hunting a knockout. He vastly favors power over volume, constantly throwing single shots and naked kicks with KO intentions. Prado tends to headhunt, often blitzing forward to unload looping hooks and uppercuts. Training at Goat Shed Academy, he won’t throw much at range, always looking to close the distance and let his hands go inside the pocket. He does a great job of holding the octagon's center and will constantly look to counterstrike. Prado can do severe damage without much space and has particularly devastating elbow strikes.

Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato

*Jimmy Crute fires a head kick at Jamahal Hill. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Jimmy Crute: 12-4-1, 5 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Rodolfo Bellato: 12-2-0, 7 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Crute has won one of his last five outings with one draw and has UFC victories over Paul Craig (17-9-1), Modestas Bukauskas (16-6-0), and Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-9-0). He has heavy hands and kicks on the feet, throwing every shot with power. He does an excellent job of managing distance, often picking his opponent apart at range with various attacks. Crute pushes a heavy pace and always pursues a finish, only seeing the judges’ scorecards once so far in his promotional tenure. He is an excellent grappler, holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and will often shoot for takedowns early. Training at Greco and Stewie’s House, Crute is averaging nearly five takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and is a tenacious wrestler, often chaining takedowns together. He has excellent top control and transitions quickly on the ground, averaging two submission attempts per fifteen minutes, and has two wins by Kimura in the UFC.

*Rodolfo Bellato rains down ground and pound onto Ihor Potieria. Credit: Ag. Fight.*

Bellato has won four of his last five fights and has a UFC victory over Ihor Potieria (20-8-0). He’s a heavy-handed scrapper that’s comfortable anywhere the fight goes. He throws every shot with power and often headhunts, regularly closing the distance and firing powerful hooks at his opponent. Bellato can throw with both power and volume but won’t get wild, remaining technical and carrying his power throughout the fight. He heats up as the fight continues, often taking some damage early before letting his hands go. Training with Team Nogueira, he has outstanding clinch striking and can do severe without much space, particularly with his elbows and knees. Bellato has proven exceptionally durable and capable of surviving in deep waters, always willing to eat a shot to land one while constantly pressuring forward.

Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira

*Justin Tafa blasts Parker Porter with a powerful left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Heavyweight Bout

Justin Tafa: 7-4-0, 7 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Tallison Teixeira: 7-0-0, 6 KO/TKO,1 Sub.

Tafa has won three of his last five bouts with one no-contest and has UFC victories over Parker Porter (14-9-0), Harry Hunsucker (7-6-0), and Austen Lane (13-5-0). With a style reminiscent of his inspiration, Mark Hunt, he loves to brawl and has one-shot knockout power. He has an excellent chin and constantly throws bombs, often opening combinations with leg kicks. Training at NTG Fight, Tafa is a patient striker who will look for openings but is willing to eat one to land one. He has never been taken down in the UFC or attempted a takedown, always preferring to keep the fight standing. He has finished all his wins, and when he’s gotten out of the first round in the UFC, he’s averaging 60 significant strikes landed per fight. Tafa has shown he has the cardio to go 15 minutes, but with most of his victories coming in the first round, he’s most dangerous early on.

*Tallison Teixeira loads up a right hand and prepares to fire on Arthur Lopes. Credit: Kevin Iole.*

Teixeira is undefeated and making his UFC debut following a first-round KO victory on Dana White’s Contender Series over Arthur Lopes (6-2-0). He’s a massive, lengthy striker with serious, one-shot knockout power in his hands. Standing at 6’7”, he uses his length well, often firing kicks and long straights from range before entering the pocket to blast his opponent with hooks and uppercuts. Teixeira fights behind his jab and regularly mixes kicks into combinations but tends to headhunt, constantly pursuing a knockout. He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges, often remaining on his feet and taking advantage of what’s typically a significant advantage in height and reach. Training with Team Lucas Mineiro, he has a great chin and is willing to brawl on the inside, but he’s also extremely dangerous from range. Teixeira has not seen a second round in his brief professional career and has scored two finishes in 30 seconds or less.

(C) Zhang Weili vs. #1 Tatiana Suarez

*Zhang Weili viciously chokes out Carla Esparza to reclaim the Strawweight title. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Women’s Strawweight Title Bout

Zhang Weili: 25-3-0, 11 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Tatiana Suarez: 11-0-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Zhang has won four of her last five outings and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Strawweight Yan Xiaonan (19-4-0), #4 ranked Strawweight Jéssica Andrade (26-13-0), and #5 ranked Strawweight Amanda Lemos (14-4-1). She pushes a serious pace, both on the feet and the ground, and is dangerous wherever the fight goes. She is arguably the most powerful puncher in the division, made even more hazardous by her accuracy and ability to stay technical while still throwing bombs. Training at Beijing Black Tiger, Zhang varies her strikes well, attacking both the head and body and mixing kicks into combinations. She’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and will immediately posture up and unload punches if she gets into top position. As she does on the feet, she always looks for the finish on the mat, constantly looking to improve position or find openings for submissions or ground and pound. This Saturday’s matchup will be Zhang’s eighth title fight in just twelve UFC appearances, having exclusively fought the best of the best in her promotional tenure.

*Tatiana Suarez submits Jéssica Andrade with a guillotine choke. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Suarez is undefeated and has UFC victories over #1 ranked Flyweight Alexa Grasso (16-4-1), #4 ranked Strawweight Jéssica Andrade (26-13-0), and Carla Esparza (20-8-0). One of the most skilled female grapplers in the UFC, she’s a dominant wrestler who’s nearly impossible to shake off. She has excellent takedowns, averaging over six landed per 15 minutes, and has landed multiple takedowns in all of her UFC fights. Training at Millennia MMA, Suarez won’t waste much time on the feet, often throwing kicks at range before closing distance and clinching up. Having defended 100% of takedowns attempted on her in the UFC, she’s seemingly always one step ahead in the grappling department, typically dominating her opponent if she can take top position. She’s extremely defensively sound and rarely takes much damage, landing, on average, about 3 times as many strikes as she absorbs per minute. The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner, Suarez, has the highest top position percentage in UFC women’s Strawweight history at 61.3%, and is rarely put into dangerous spots.

(C) Dricus Du Plessis vs. #1 Sean Strickland

*Dricus Du Plessis postures up and prepares to unload ground and pound strikes onto Robert Whittaker. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Middleweight Title Bout

Dricus Du Plessis: 22-2-0, 9 KO/TKO, 11 Sub.

Sean Strickland: 29-6-0, 11 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Du Plessis is on a nine-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Middleweight Israel Adesanya (24-5-0), #5 ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker (27-8-0), and his current opponent, Sean Strickland. He utilizes a kickboxing style on the feet, regularly throwing a barrage of kicks from distance, especially to the legs. He has one-shot knockout power, with many of his knockouts seemingly coming from nowhere. Training at CIT Performance Institute, Du Plessis has power in both hands and will often blitz forward to throw big combinations. He throws everything with power and never telegraphs his shots, making him dangerous at all times. He frequently mixes grappling into his attacks, averaging over three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes. When on top, Du Plessis stays patient and won’t force anything, focusing on getting to advantageous positions before throwing ground and pound.

*Sean Strickland forces Abus Magomedov to shell up as he throws a combination. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Strickland has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Middleweight Nassourdine Imavov (16-4-0), #4 ranked Middleweight Israel Adesanya (24-5-0), and #9 ranked Middleweight Brendan Allen (24-6-0). He’s an excellent striker, constantly coming forward and letting his hands go. While he prefers to keep the fight standing, he’s willing to grapple, averaging just under one takedown landed per fifteen minutes. Strickland also has solid takedown defense, defending 77% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. He uses a very upright boxing style on the feet, throwing every shot with purpose and in combination. He pushes a ridiculously heavy pace throughout, landing, on average, 151 significant strikes in his last five fights. Training at Xtreme Couture, Strickland tries to keep his opponent on the back foot as much as possible to open up opportunities to land strikes, especially his one-two.

Best Bets

Crute vs. Bellato to Not Go the Distance: A matchup of two well-rounded, heavy-handed fighters who are dangerous anywhere the fight goes; I expect plenty of highlights. In a combined 31 total fights, these two have only been to the judges’ scorecards five times and have produced 16 first-round finishes. While both have proven capable of going a full fifteen minutes, they always pursue a finish and leave everything inside the cage. Both are looking to score significant victories: Crute is looking for a bounce-back win after recent setbacks, and Bellato is looking to establish himself further after an excellent debut outing. With both of these powerful finishers pushing a heavy pace, I’d be stunned to see this go all three rounds. Although it may make it out of the first round, I anticipate an impressive finish victory for one of these fighters on Saturday.

Zhang Weili Moneyline: Zhang looks to earn her fourth title defense in this matchup, while after years of hype and setbacks, Suarez has finally fought her way to a title. While this particular matchup hasn’t been long-awaited, many fans have been waiting for Suarez to realize a title shot since her UFC debut in 2016. Now that she’s finally reached the top, the hype has truly boiled over, with Suarez being the betting favorite despite Zhang’s recent dominance. I’m shocked that the oddsmakers haven’t learned from UFC 311 when Umar Nurmagomedov was a favorite over Merab Dvalishvili; once again, a top-level, dominant champion is the underdog heading into their title defense. Although Suarez is undefeated and has some outstanding statistics to back her hype, this is by far her toughest matchup, with this being her first appearance in the Octagon since 2023 and only her third bout since 2020. Suarez has also never gone five rounds in her career, and this will be her first-ever appearance on the main card of a pay-per-view. Weili has vast championship and main card experience and has been consistently active since joining the UFC, fighting nothing but the best for multiple years. I expect Suarez to struggle with Zhang's pace and strength, and I anticipate Zhang will take full control in the championship rounds if it makes it that far. Ultimately, I expect a victory and another successful title defense for Zhang this weekend.

Dricus Du Plessis Moneyline: Less than a year after their first meeting in Toronto, two of the best Middleweights in the world will clash again. Considering how little time has passed since their first matchup, neither of their styles or skills has changed significantly. Strickland is still a pressure fighter, utilizing volume and constant forward motion to wear down and damage his opponents. Du Plessis is still an unorthodox, unpredictable wildman who can finish the fight from anywhere. While I expect it to be closely contended like the first fight, I anticipate a similar result. Du Plessis has an evident strength and power advantage and has proven to have shockingly good cardio, which are all serious problems for Strickland. Strickland’s usual gameplan relies on his cardio and being able to outpace his opponent, something he struggled with in their first matchup. I also expect more grappling exchanges in this bout, something I believe Du Plessis has a solid advantage in. I expect Du Plessis to weather the early onslaught, withstand Strickland’s pressure, and put an official end to their rivalry with another title defense.

UFC 312 Preview