Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland at UFC 312 | Preview & Prediction
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The main event at UFC 312 is one of the most eagerly-awaited rematches in middleweight history as champion Dricus du Plessis puts his belt on the line against challenger Sean Strickland
Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland Facts
When is UFC 312? UK – the early preliminary card starts at 11:00pm on Saturday 8th February 2025, followed by the preliminary card at 1:00am (Sunday) and the main card at 3:00am (Sunday) / USA – 6:00pm/8:00pm/10:00pm ET and 3:00pm/5:00pm/7:00pm PT
Where is UFC 312? Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
Where can I get tickets for UFC 312? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 312
What TV channel is UFC 312 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 312? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC 312 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland expected to walk out? Sunday 9th February, 2025, 5:30am UK / 12:30am US ET / Saturday 8th February, 9:30pm US PT
UFC 312 Main Card
Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland (Middleweight)
Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez (Women’s Strawweight)
Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira (Heavyweight)
Jimmy Crute vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight)
Jake Matthews vs Francisco Prado (Welterweight)
UFC 312 Prelims
Jack Jenkins vs Gabriel Santos (Featherweight)
Tom Nolan vs Viacheslav Borshchev (Lightweight)
Wang Cong vs Bruna Brasil (Women’s Flyweight)
Colby Thicknesse vs Aleksandre Topuria (Bantamweight)
Rong Zhu vs Kody Steele (Lightweight)
Jonathan Micallef vs Kevin Jousset (Welterweight)
Quillan Salkilld vs Anshul Jubli (Lightweight)
Dricus du Plessis: Champ looking to cement his place at the top
Dricus du Plessis (22-2) is at the absolute top of his game the middleweight champion is looking to defend his belt for a second time. He has now won ten fights in a row and has been fighting at such a high level against all of the best fighters in the division. The hardest match during that time was arguably against Strickland in which he edged a split decision so it is natural that they rematch. Du Plessis will want to put on a show and not leave it to the judges’ this time around.
Sean Strickland: Challenger desperate to avenge loss
Sean Strickland (29-6) returns to action desperate to avenge his previous loss to Dricus du Plessis and regain the middleweight belt. Strickland won the belt in September 2023 as he stunned Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 but he lost it the next fight as Du Plessis edged a split decision. Strickland bounced back by earning his own split decision over Paulo Costa last time out at UFC 302 and now he will be desperate to regain the belt.
Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland Prediction
This main event at UFC 312 promises to be an absolute barnburner as if the first fight was anything to go by, we can expect an all-out war between these two warriors.
Du Plessis seemed to raise his game a level last time out as he outfought Israel Adesanya and stopped him in the fourth round. Strickland did well to beat Paulo Costa but he was not as comprehensive as Du Plessis.
Our sense is that Du Plessis still has levels while Strickland has potentially already hit his best. The South African is technically outstanding but ridiculously tough to match and it is going to take a really special performance by anybody to beat him.
Strickland is as game as they come and we know he will die on his sword but we feel he just falls short here. Du Plessis is more than a match in every area and we expect him to get the win here, and more comprehensively than last time.
Prediction: Dricus du Plessis to win
