The UFC’s return to Australia in February will be top-heavy with a pair of title fights.
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) wanted a title defense against Khamzat Chimaev, but instead it will be a rematch against former champ Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC), whom he beat to win the title earlier this year.
In addition, women’s strawweight titleholder Weili Zhang (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) will take on challenger Tatiana Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) – who went from a fight against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 310 that was scrapped to a title shot.
UFC officials announced the bouts during Saturday’s UFC 310 pay-per-view broadcast. UFC 312 takes place Feb. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Du Plessis, from South Africa, took a split decision from Strickland in a Fight of the Night winner at UFC 297 in January in Toronto. In Australia in August, he submitted former champ Israel Adesanya in the fourh round of a big grudge match.
Many thought he’d get Chimaev for his next defense, but Strickland retained the title shot he was promised after a split call win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June.
Zhang, a two-time champion, won the belt back a little more than two years ago against Carla Esparza. She defended it with a decision win over Amanda Lemos in August 2023, then one over fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan in April.
Suarez, the Season 23 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has been perfect in her career so far. She has back-to-back submission wins over Montana De La Rosa (at flyweight) and former champ Jessica Andrade, both of which were good for $50,000 bonuses. Those wins came in 2023 after a layoff of nearly four years. She was set to fight Jandiroba at UFC 310 this week, but withdrew.
The latest UFC 312 lineup now includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
