UFC 312: Du Plessis Defeats Strickland, Zhang Weili Dominates Suarez in Title Defense

Location: Qudos Arena, Sydney, Australia; Date: 9th Feb 2025.

UFC 312 was the company’s second PPV of the year which took place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The UFC had not toured the city since they came at UFC 293 in September 2023 and recently they have again. The card featured total 12 fights with nine reserved weight categories two of which were main titles. This article recaps all the action that went down and explores the full results of UFC 312 as well. The card will feature 12 bouts.

Main Event: Dricus du Plessis Defeats Sean Strickland in a Grueling Battle

Dricus du Plessis dodged enough of the attacks of Sean Strickland to maintain his middleweight belt after a hard-fought rematch. Previously, these two had exchanged blows at UFC 297, where du Plessis got the upper hand after the split decision and got the 185-pound title. The rematch was a not a neck to neck fight unlike their first encounter with the South African dominating the match. Strickland went after his origins with his deceiving technique, pressing at first with his leading hand and verbal dodging. On the other hand, du Plessis effectively implored a spectacular array of striking that encompassed the legs, body, and head all among other things.

The brute-force tactical slug feast by du Plessis eventually started taking a toll on Strickland when he was nearly blind with the effect of speed. It was making it tough for the challenger to focus on his striker and in return giving him trouble.

The reason why the clock turned is in the fourth round when the champion delivered a shattering straight punch. It resulted in a visible straight broken nose for his opponent, not to mention the flow of blood. Strickland was pushed to the limit, and du Plessis only got more numbers by tripling his strikes in the final round.

In the entire time given by the judges, du Plessis gathered superior scores from all the scorecards and kept his belt. In his post match speech, he offered a nice goodnight message to the middle class as he was the ruler.

Co-Main Event: Zhang Weili Outclasses Tatiana Suarez to Retain Title

In the co-main event, strawweight champion Zhang Weili grappled with her most difficult opponent to date, an undefeated wrestling specialist, Tatiana Suarez. This time Suarez got back to the ring after an 18-month layoff and started strong by taking Zhang down early and controlling the situation. However, a misplaced guillotine allowed the champion to reverse position, a turn of the tide of the fight.

Since that moment, Zhang was in charge. She presented her elite striking and overpowering grappling, continuously hitting numerous power punches while avoiding Suarez’s takedown bids. Despite her toughness, Suarez was not able to counter Zhang’s grueling pace and versatile skillset.

At the end of five rounds of fierce competition, Zhang was announced the winner by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45). She levelled Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s record for the most title fight wins in UFC strawweight history (six).

UFC 312 Highlights and Bonuses:-

Knockout Of The Night:

The first appearance of Tallison Teixeira in the UFC was unreservedly marvelous. The match saw him knocking out Justin Tafa with a dreadful elbow in mere 35 seconds. Standing over the can which is usually used to enclose someone, the Brazilian distinguished himself by exploiting his strength in the clinch.

Tafa’s attempt to come out of the clinch was the moment when Teixeira let out his most powerful short elbow. The blow pushed him down to the ground. Right there and then, the referee had stepped in, preventing Tafa to have any irreparable loss. On top of presenting himself as a serious competitor in the heavyweight division, since the knockout was screened, Teixeira also impressed the audience with his skills.

Fight Of The Night: The Middleweight Title Fight

Dricus du Plessis received a serious cardiovascular exercise from Sean Strickland, who not only boasted but also sustained excellent strength. Strickland was on target with his boxing and movement of his head in the early rounds. On the other hand, du Plessis’ stance was to keep attacking with a neverending stream of kicks and power punches.

Both fighters showed that they are a major warrior material by digging deep. They gave each other considerable damage without a sign of wanting to withdraw from the fight. Outworking his rival in terms of power and quantity, despite Strickland’s stubbornness, Dricus du Plessis dominated the later rounds. The match was the battle of toughness between both men and as a conclusion had everyone on the edge of their seats until the final horn.

Record Broken:

Sean Strickland has set a new benchmark for the highest number of strikes landed in the history of the UFC middleweight division by breaking the previous record held by Michael Bisping. Although Strickland could not win the title after losing to du Plessis, he was still able to show his striking abilities, though not as much as he is normally known for.

Sean’s hard push, which is his standout trait, is increased by his exceptional cardio and a constant output rate, whereas he broke Bisping’s previous record in the fight. This milestone successfully consolidates Strickland’s standing as one of the most active and technically strong fighters in the division’s history, despite losing.

UFC 312 Full Fight Card Results:-

With a dominant performance, Dricus du Plessis proved that he is a top performer having conquered one more title bout. The only issue left to ponder on is; will he be able to retain the title in his next fight against Khamzat Chimaev?

On one hand, Zhang Weili continues her reign of fame with great success. But on the other hand, extremely talented fighters, such as Yan Xiaonan and Amanda Lemos, are now in position to deprive her of her throne.

During UFC 312, fans had the ultimate experience while witnessing so many unforgettable moments and being part of an intriguing night that pumped the adrenaline very high in the UFC. Fans are genuinely interested in what’s in store for the champions and those who are still contending!