Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira at UFC 312 | Preview & Prediction
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We have the heavyweights up next as Justin Tafa and Tallison Teixeira collide in a bout which promises fireworks on the main card
Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira 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 Justin Tafa and Tallison Teixeira expected to walk out? Sunday 9th February, 2025, 4:15am UK / Saturday 8th February, 11:15pm US ET / 8:15pm 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)
Justin Tafa: Kiwi powerhouse coming off first loss since 2021
Justin Tafa (7-4 with one no contest) is coming off a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Karkl Williams so the big Kiwi will be eager to get back to winning ways here. The last time he fought down under was his previous fight in Sydney at UFC 293 and he produced an impressive knockout of Austen Lane. That earned him a Performance of the Night bonus and that will give him heart as he returns to action in front of a crowd that will be firmly behind him.
Tallison Teixeira: Unbeaten Brazilian facing toughest test of career
Tallison Teixeira (7-0) makes his UFC debut here and the talented Brazilian has plenty of hype behind him. He has won all seven of his professional MMA fights in the first round with six knockouts and one submission. His fearsome reputation saw him enter Dana White’s Contender Series and then he continued his knockout streak by finishing Arthur Lopes in September. He now gets his shot in the big time and this is unquestionably a major step up for him, but one he will relish.
Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira Prediction
We have had some really uninspiring heavyweight matches in recent UFC events but it is hard to imagine this one will not contain fireworks.
Tallison Teixeira is a killer and has won all seven of his fights in the first round. He knows no other way of fighting and even though this is comfortably the biggest fight of his career and in front of the biggest crowd, he will look for the stoppage right from the first bell.
Tafa has the greater experience and will have crowd support on his side but he has lost four of his 12 fights and has shown some vulnerability.
The same cannot be said for Teixeira albeit he has fought at a lower level. It will be interesting to see if Tafa can test his chin as both fighters possess scary knockout power.
We have to favour Teixeira however to continue his impressive run. He is the younger, fresher fighter and has that look of one of the real tough Brazil’s that do possess a good chin. At 203cm, he will have a major reach and height advantage that will make Tafa’s task even harder.
Prediction: Tallison Teixeira to win by KO/TKO
