Following his unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 in Sydney, Sean Strickland took to Instagram to reflect on the fight and give credit to the reigning middleweight champion.
In his first public statement since the bout, Strickland detailed the significant damage to his nose, which he admitted played a role in the fight’s outcome. He revealed that his nose was broken in six places but remained optimistic about the injury.
“Dricus, f*cking hat’s off,” Strickland said in a video on his Instagram account. “Hell of a fight. Broke my nose in like six places. Silver lining — my nose is so broken it’s easy to reset. That was a new experience.”
Despite previously feeling “robbed” in their first encounter at UFC 297, which Du Plessis won by split decision, Strickland took a more positive approach to this loss. He found satisfaction in pushing through adversity and acknowledged that others face far greater struggles in life.
“I’m good. Losing sucks, but we all lose in life,” Strickland said. “I talk to so many people that lose their job, their girlfriend breaks up with them, and they just find themselves in this hole. I love the misery. I love the suffering because when you’re miserable, when you’re in pain and suffering — the moment that’s gone, and it will end—there will be a new day and a better day. Life’s good.”
The first fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland was a close battle that could have fallen either way, ending in a controversial decision for the South African despite UFC CEO Dana White feeling “Tarzan” won the fight. But the rematch between the two was not close at all.
Du Plessis took complete control in a lackluster, dominant decision win over Strickland to retain the UFC middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 312.
The opening round saw both men delivering single shots. Despite previous acknowledgement about the risks of close rounds, Strickland tried to use his jab for a lead, but the champ kept distance and strategically landed whenever he saw an opening.
The American landed some strong strikes early in the second round, but “Stillknocks” completely took over the output of that frame from there, seemingly putting the former champion in an early 2-0 hole.
The defending champion continued to take advantage of a lack of activity from the former one during round three. The big moment of the fight, however, happened in the middle of the fourth round when a right hand from Du Plessis connected harshly, breaking Strickland’s nose. Blood poured out as the challenger looked to up his power to get back into the fight.
In spite of nearly getting caught in a guillotine during an unadvised rush in, Du Plessis stayed the course and landed from distance, with his output far exceeding Strickland’s.
The South African nearly swept the scorecards, with two 50-45s and a 49-46 in his favor to keep the gold.
Dricus Du Plessis Retains In Dominant Outing Over Sean Strickland
I thought Strickland said he was going to war. #UFC312
Dricus du Plessis with a championship effort. A rare non-finish for him, but Strickland is proven durable. What a run at middleweight it's been for DDP.
Du Plessis won the middleweight title in the original fight with Strickland last year at UFC 297 and retained the gold with a submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.
Strickland, meanwhile, defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 302. He had won the middleweight title in upset fashion when he defeated Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.
UFC 312 took place tonight from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!
In the main event, Dricus Du Plessis put his middleweight title on the line in a rematch with former champ Sean Strickland. While in the co-main event, strawweight champ Zhang Weili faced Tatiana Suarez.
UFC 312 Results: Main Card
Middleweight Championship: Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45×2, 49-46)
Women’s Strawweight Championship: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision (49-46×2, 49-45)
Heavyweight: Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via TKO: R1, 0.35
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato ends in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28×2)
Welterweight: Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Preliminary Card
Featherweight: Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission: R3, 2.06
Lightweight: Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28×2, 30-27)
Women’s Flyweight: Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Bantamweight: Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Early Preliminary Card
Lightweight: Rongzhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Welterweight: Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via TKO: R1, 0.19
Preliminary CardHighlights
Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli
Quillan Salkilld took just 19 seconds to TKO Anshul Jubli in their lightweight bout.
The UFC 312 pay-per-view recently concluded, and MMA News has you covered with the post-fight press conference in Sydney.
The Qudos Bank Arena played host to Octagon action on tonight, as the mixed martial arts leader continued its PPV schedule for 2025 with a lineup that featured two championships and a host of local names.
Of note were victories for Dricus Du Plessis, Zhang Weili, Jake Matthews and Tallison Teixeira.
And before attention turns to UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues at the Apex next weekend, there remains some business to attend to backstage at UFC 312.
Shortly after the main event’s ending, Dana White will appear in front of the media to reveal the recipients of the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses before answering questions. The victorious fighters from UFC 312 will also take queries from the press in reaction to their performances.
With that said, see below for a live stream of the UFC 312 post-fight press conference via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 1:15 AM ET.
Sean Strickland is known for his intense and sometimes unorthodox approach to sparring — something that former UFC fighter Matt Brown believes may be holding him back.
Strickland’s sparring sessions are notoriously intense, pushing his training partners hard while focusing on realistic fight simulations. His sparring habits reflect his personality and approach to fighting as intense, technical, and often entertaining. However, Brown believes the former middleweight champ’s constant sparring could be limiting his growth as a fighter.
“The problem with the constant sparring — a lot of people talk about the brain damage and stuff like that. I don’t think that’s nearly as big of a deal as people make it out to be,” Brown said on MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer. “But you don’t evolve quite as much. You’re not compartmentalizing little skills and building on them.
“For instance, I’ve got a guy fighting pretty soon, and today we literally only worked on his jab and stepping outside because he’s fighting a southpaw—so getting his left foot outside of his [opponent’s]. So guys were sparring against him at about 50 or 60 percent, and his only job was to throw a jab and get outside. You’re not throwing right hands, you’re not throwing kicks, so we’re compartmentalizing these little skills.
“So now when he goes and spars again, he’s going to have a much better jab — hopefully. If what we did worked, he’s going to get outside better, and all those other things are going to open up. I don’t really see Strickland doing that because he’s just sparring all the time.”
Brown acknowledges the benefits of Strickland’s heavy sparring approach but argues that it comes at a cost.
“The advantage is he gets his timing very well, he knows exactly what he’s looking for all the time, he knows himself very well as a fighter, he doesn’t get as nervous,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of advantages. But you don’t evolve that way.”
Strickland is set to challenge current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in a rematch for the title on Feb. 8 at UFC 312.
Sayif Saud, head coach at Fortis MMA, anticipates an all-out war between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland in their UFC 312 rematch this Saturday.
The two middleweights will run it back less than a year after their closely contested fight at UFC 297, where Du Plessis captured the middleweight title by split decision. Their first encounter was action-packed, with both fighters believing they had done enough to win.
Now, they meet again in Sydney, with Strickland blaming his previous loss on an alleged illegal headbutt and questionable judging. Meanwhile, Du Plessis sees no controversy and aims for a decisive victory to silence any doubts.
“Sean Strickland is not a f*cking game,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “Sean Strickland is a guy that I think builds confidence with experience. He has experience in there with Dricus, going at Dricus. People are kind of counting him out a little bit more in this fight, saying, ‘Well, Dricus is going to finish, Dricus is getting better and better.’ That might be the case, but I still see this as a very close fight. I just think with the experience that Sean Strickland has, mentally, I feel like he’ll be more prepared. But again, the champion is 30 percent better every time.
“You become the champion, you’re literally 30 percent better. The confidence that comes with that. Dricus is a f*cking beast. He knows it doesn’t look great, but he don’t care. His whole thing is, ‘I’m going to out-will you.’ And that’s powerful, man. Fighting is about will, and he out-wills people. He really, really does. But that ain’t going to be easy to go do against Sean Strickland, because Sean Strickland is a five-round fighter.”
Saud believes Du Plessis will be ready if Strickland comes out aggressively looking for a finish. Because of this, he dismisses any predictions of a dull fight, expecting an even more intense battle than their first encounter.
“I think we’re going to see what we saw (in the first fight), but a little more aggressive version of that,” Saud said. “I think they’re going to add on a bit, they’re going to study the tape, and they’re going to come up with some more stuff. But Dricus’ coach is really, really good at game planning. This is going to be a real chess match between these two, and it’s going to be violent.”
The title clash at the top of the card will see Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland’s feud reach a second chapter 13 months on from the South African’s crowning in Canada. They’ll renew hostilities after both recording a victory apiece since their tight five-round headliner at UFC 297.
Beforehand, another champ will be in action as strawweight queen Zhang Weili gets her campaign for the new year underway. To extend her second reign beyond its third title defense, the Chinese standout is tasked with blemishing the currently perfect record of challenger Tatiana Suarez.
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 Weigh-In Results
UFC 312 takes place Saturday, February 8 (February 9 local time) at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.
See above for a replay of the UFC 312 Weigh-In Show, and check out the results below.
Main Card:
Middleweight Championship: Dricus Du Plessis (185lbs) vs. Sean Strickland (185lbs)
Women’s Strawweight Championship: Zhang Weili (115lbs) vs. Tatiana Suarez (114.5lbs)
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa (266lbs) vs. Tallison Teixeira (263lbs)
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute (206lbs) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (205lbs)
Welterweight: Jake Matthews (170.5lbs) vs. Francisco Prado (170.5lbs)
Preliminary Card:
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins (146lbs) vs. Gabriel Santos (145.5lbs)
Lightweight: Tom Nolan (155.5lbs) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (156lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Wang Cong (125lbs) vs. Bruna Brasil (125.5lbs)
Bantamweight: Colby Thicknesse (135.5lbs) vs. Aleksandre Topuria (135.5lbs)
Early Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Rongzhu (156lbs) vs. Kody Steele (156lbs)
Welterweight: Kevin Jousset (171lbs) vs. Jonathan Micallef (170lbs)
Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld (156lbs) vs. Anshul Jubli (155.5lbs)
Flyweight: HyunSung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel*
*Due to weight management issues with Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, his flyweight bout with HyunSung Park has been canceled.
Ahead of his middleweight title rematch against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 this Saturday in Sydney, Sean Strickland has reassured fans that there is nothing to worry about following speculation that he might have a staph infection.
Concern arose after Strickland’s pre-fight photoshoot was released, with some observers noting a mark on his arm that resembled a staph infection. Even Du Plessis alluded to it in a post on his Instagram Story, fueling speculation.
However, Strickland addressed the rumors during the UFC 312 pre-fight press conference, dismissing any health concerns.
“Listen, motherf*ckers, I’m immune to staph,” Strickland said. “You see this f*cking mustache? I give staph — I don’t f*cking get staph. Calm the f*ck down.
“I don’t get sick, I don’t get f*cking injured, I don’t get f*cking staph. So, relax. I’m going to be out there on Sunday, and I’m going to come out f*cking hard and strong. The hardest and strongest you’ve ever f*cking seen. To the f*cking death, Dutch man.”
The UFC 312 main event will see middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis defend his title for the second time since capturing it at the expense of Sean Strickland 13 months ago. To continue his reign, the South African is tasked with repeating that feat in a rematch opposite “Tarzan.”
Co-headlining UFC 312 will be another champ in Zhang Weili, who will look to maintain her status as strawweight queen by blemishing the currently perfect record of Tatiana Suarez.
UFC 312: MMA News Staff Predictions
Ahead of Saturday’s UFC 312 event, Thomas Albano, Ryan Jarrell, Pranav Pandey and Aakrit Sharma have provided their picks for the five matchups set for the main card.
Below, you can check out the current leaderboard through one card in 2025.
Thomas Albano (2-1) & Pranav Pandey (2-1)
Ryan Jarrell (1-2) & Aakrit Sharma (1-2)
And with that, it’s time for the team’s predictions for UFC 312.
Welterweight: Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
Images: UFC.com
Thomas Albano: Francisco Prado did quite well for himself on the regional scene, but he enters tonight just 1-2 in the Octagon, competing in his first fight in about a year. He won’t be an easy pushover opponent for native hero Jake Matthews, however. Matthews has competed in the UFC for over 10 years now, and that experience will prove to be highly valuable in this kind of matchup. While Matthews has traded wins and losses since the end of a three-fight win streak that he had entering 2021, he’s got the reach advantage and a real developed all-around skillset that should net him a win at UFC 312. (Prediction: Jake Matthews)
Ryan Jarrell: Matthews looked impressive in his recent victory over Phil Rowe. The Aussie is 30 years old now and entering his athletic prime. Prado is 1-2 in the UFC and coming off a convincing loss to Daniel Zellhuber. On the other hand, Matthews is 13-7 in the UFC and looking like the best version of himself. The Australian does a good job of mixing things up and is very difficult to control when he’s mixing up his wrestling with his great striking. This should be another close fight overall, but if this goes to the judges, I’d be shocked if the hometown fighter doesn’t get the nod. (Prediction: Jake Matthews)
Pranav Pandey: This is a tough one to call, and honestly, I’m on the fence about picking a winner. But if we go by the numbers and odds, Matthews — a decade-long UFC veteran — has the experience edge and a reach advantage to work with. Add in the passionate Aussie crowd behind him, and he’s got the tools to take down the young and hungry Prado. If he plays his cards right at UFC 312, this could be another much-needed win in his rollercoaster of a career. (Prediction: Jake Matthews)
Aakrit Sharma: I can only see one upside for Matthews in this fight, and that’s the fact he’s been fighting at welterweight for quite some time. In terms of pure skill, Prado is really hard to deny, considering all 12 of his victories have been finishes (6 subs and 6 KOs). The loss to Zellhuber doesn’t take away a lot from Prado because the Mexican is easily one of the most durable and talented strikers in the lightweight division. The Argentine will carry more power at welterweight, which should concern Matthews because the Australian relies heavily on his chin and gets hit a lot.
The fact that Prado’s just 22 makes me confident that he’s constantly improving. I anticipate him to have a solid start, but if Matthews can weather the early storm as usual, he could very well wrestle his way to victory. I am expecting this to be one of the most exciting fights of the night, and although Matthews is a huge step up in competition, I’m picking Prado to emerge victorious at UFC 312. (Prediction: Francisco Prado)
Consensus: 3-1 Jake Matthews
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato
Images: UFC.com
Thomas Albano: It’s really unfortunate to see what’s happened to Jimmy Crute. He was being talked about with plenty of hype and hope after his performance on Dana White’s Contender Series, starting his Octagon run off with four wins in five fights, including a submission of Paul Craig in his UFC debut. Now, he’s gone winless in his last four fights, having not secured a win in the UFC since October 2020. And that isn’t good when taking on an up-and-comer like Rodolfo Bellato at UFC 312.
While he was unsuccessful in his first DWCS attempt, Bellato made a name for himself by becoming a champion in the LFA before securing a win in his second DWCS appearance. And in his UFC debut back in December 2023, Bellato put his name out there with a second-round finish of Ihor Potieria. While he hasn’t fought since, I feel confident in selecting Bellato based on momentum alone. (Prediction: Rodolfo Bellato)
Ryan Jarrell: This should be another fun, action-packed fight at UFC 312. There is no question that Crute has faced the tougher competition, and he will be fighting in front of his home crowd, which should juice him up ever more. Crute is in desperate need of a win if he wants to keep his job in the UFC. I think that Bellato is the more well-rounded fighter and deserves to be the favorite, which the odds reflect. But I think Crute will be energized by the Australian crowd and will exhibit the best of version of himself with his back against the wall at UFC 312. (Prediction: Jimmy Crute)
Pranav Pandey: Crute’s career hasn’t taken off the way many expected — it’s been four years since his last win, and that’s a brutal dry spell for the Aussie. On the flip side, Bellato has been turning heads, especially with his performance against Ihor Potieria. He’s anything but a one-dimensional fighter, bringing a well-rounded arsenal to the Octagon. Unless Crute finds a way to flip the script, this one’s looking like a smooth ride for Bellato at UFC 312. (Prediction: Rodolfo Bellato)
Aakrit Sharma: Both Crute and Bellato will be entering the Octagon at UFC 312 after a silent 2024 as they last fought in July 2023 and December 2023, respectively. This is an important fight for Crute as he’s lost three of his last four. Bellato is yet to face the best in the UFC light heavyweight division, but he’s walked through all of his opponents with ease, except Vitor Petrino. As much as I want Crute to get back to the win column, I believe it’ll be a rough night for him because Bellato boasts KO power and Crute simply hasn’t shown anything special since October 2020. (Prediction: Rodolfo Bellato)
Consensus: 3-1 Rodolfo Bellato
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
Images: UFC.com
Thomas Albano: This UFC 312 fight is simple to predict, and while I understand putting Justin Tafa on the card given it’s Australia, it’s a shame that this fight is being placed as such a featured bout on the pay-per-view. Both men have finishing power and will be looking to end things rather quick. While Tafa doesn’t have a great track record in MMA when fights drag on, Tallison Teixeira has finished all five of the fights he’s had prior to UFC 312, four of them coming by KO/TKO.
This one will end early, but in favor of whom? Personally, I feel Teixeira’s youth and skillset (not to mention Tafa’s inconsistency) gives him the edge. (Prediction: Tallison Teixeira)
Ryan Jarrell: Someone is going to sleep in this one. I always seem to forget that Tafa is still just in his early 30s. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t fight very often and his last fight to Karl Williams was rather forgettable. Teixeira is undefeated at 7-0 and six of those wins are by TKO/KO. He looked impressive beating Arthur Lopes on DWCS. This is definitely a step up in competition, but I expect the Brazilian to rise to the occasion and notch a highlight finish in his UFC debut. (Prediction: Tallison Teixeira)
Pranav Pandey: When heavyweights collide, wild knockouts are almost inevitable — and I’ve got a strong feeling we’re in for another one in this showdown. Both Tafa and Teixeira pack serious firepower, but the young, undefeated Brazilian holds a massive reach advantage, making him an even bigger threat in the striking exchanges. That being said, “Bad Man” will have the Aussie crowd roaring behind him, and that energy could push him to turn this into a gritty test for Teixeira. However, I see “Xicao” rising to the occasion and delivering a statement performance under the brightest lights of his career at UFC 312. (Prediction: Tallison Teixeira)
Aakrit Sharma: This is a classic heavyweight bout where the first fighter to land the biggest blow should win via KO. The other potential outcome is that they both respect each other’s power too much and end up giving fans a snoozefest. Teixeira has won all seven of his fights in the first round, and the lack of big names on his record would’ve been a huge problem if this was a lower weight class. At heavyweight, pure knockout power is enough to help you climb the ranks, and the likes of Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou (early in his career) are perfect examples of that. Because Teixeira also has a significant reach advantage, I’m picking him to get another early KO win over Tafa at UFC 312. (Prediction: Tallison Teixeira)
Consensus: 4-0 Tallison Teixeira
UFC Strawweight Title: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez
Images: @ufc/@tatianasuarezufc/Instagram
Thomas Albano: This is the toughest fight at UFC 312 to pick, for me. Zhang Weili has done incredible things in her time with the UFC, winning the UFC women’s strawweight title twice and putting on some of the more memorable performances in the Octagon. But you have to feel great for Tatiana Suarez to get this opportunity after all the injury time she has had to endure since the start of this decade. Suarez has continued to look well even in the time she’s been away from the cage. The only problem is “Magnum” is just simply incredible.
Zhang will have the clear striking advantage, and even if Suarez gets this fight to the ground, Zhang should have less of a difficult time in fighting back than some of Suarez’s other opponents have. There will hopefully be another time for Suarez to get a second crack at the gold (and maybe win it), but it won’t be on this night. (Prediction: Zhang Weili)
Ryan Jarrell: This is without question your typical striker versus wrestler matchup and I am here for it. At one point, I wasn’t so sure that anyone could beat the champion. Then I saw her fight with Yan Xiaonan and I started to feel very different. Zhang is not the indestructible force that some, including me, thought she was.
I expect the challenger to use her strength and wrestling to wear down the champ and drag her into deep waters. Zhang has the stand up skills to finish the fight against anyone, but I think Suarez will fight smart and stick to her gameplan through this fight. I can even see Suarez getting a finish at some point, but because I have so much respect for the current champion, I don’t think the finish will materialize at UFC 312. (Prediction: Tatiana Suarez)
Pranav Pandey: I’ll keep it simple — Zhang is an absolute machine. The sheer volume of strikes she unleashes is absurd, but that’s not even the scariest part. What truly makes her a dominant force is her near-impenetrable takedown defense and rock-solid grappling resistance. On the other hand, Suarez is a grappling phenom and a submission specialist who has made a habit of dismantling former champions. But here’s the catch — she’s spent a significant portion of her career on the sidelines, and I believe that layoff will play a massive role in this fight.
So, what happens if the challenger can’t keep Weili grounded? Simple — she’s going to get systematically picked apart by “Magnum.” And if that’s the case, this one’s looking like a clean, decisive win for the champ at UFC 312. (Prediction: Zhang Weili)
Aakrit Sharma: The undefeated Suarez deserves all the hype she’s getting ahead of UFC 312. Her wins over Carla Esparza, Jéssica Andrade, and Alexa Grasso have aged like fine wine, but it is very important to consider that she’ll be stepping into the Octagon after an 18-month layoff. Zhang hasn’t been too active as well, but her last four performances have removed every bit of doubt from my mind that emerged after her consecutive losses to Rose Namajunas.
Zhang’s almost the perfect women’s strawweight fighter thanks to her clean striking, strength, wrestling prowess and cardio. I’m not counting out Suarez entirely, but the challenger will surely need the best performance of her life to emerge victorious. The champion, on the other hand, already has a wealth of experience fighting the best of the best in the UFC, and it’s unlikely she’ll be overwhelmed by anything this weekend. So, I’m picking Zhang to retain her women’s strawweight championship at UFC 312. (Prediction: Zhang Weili)
Consensus: 3-1 Zhang Weili
UFC Middleweight Title: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Image: UFC.com
Thomas Albano: The first time Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland met for the middleweight title, it was a fight that caused a lot of uproar in the MMA community. It appeared to be a closely contested fight, with many, including UFC CEO Dana White, feeling that Strickland deserved the nod. Despite this, White did not give Strickland an immediate rematch, instead favoring an eagerly anticipated bout between Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. Now, at UFC 312, we finally see these two clash again.
Watching the fight live, I had it three rounds to two in favor of Du Plessis, and I still feel this way watching the rematch. Strickland landed some of the stronger strikes in the fight, and had a solid round five. Prior to that, however, Du Plessis not only matched or exceeded Strickland in terms of damage but also controlled the pace. This brings about plenty of questions as to how each made adjustments entering this next fight. Ultimately, however, when you consider both men’s fighting styles and compare their records, my UFC 312 pick is still with the man currently holding the gold. (Prediction: Dricus Du Plessis)
Ryan Jarrell: If this rematch is anything like the first fight, then we are in for a bloody treat. Considering the adjustments that could be made, the styles that these two both possess really line this rematch up for an interesting title fight. I feel like I’ve learned my lesson picking against Du Plessis at this point. The champion might not have the most appealing style, but you cannot argue with his effectiveness. I expect Strickland to give the champion some issues early on, but at the end of the day, the wrestling of the South African will be the difference in winning rounds en route to a successful defense of his title. (Prediction: Dricus Du Plessis)
Pranav Pandey: Both fighters know each other’s game inside and out, and with that burning familiarity comes a new level of calculated chaos. When it comes to chaos, “Stillknocks” is a walking nightmare. His wildly unpredictable style has turned every opponent he’s faced into a puzzle they couldn’t solve. But standing in his way is Strickland, armed with his unorthodox Philly shell stance, which enables him to apply relentless pressure. Their first encounter was a blood-soaked slugfest, and the sequel at UFC 312? I have a hunch this time, we won’t hear the final bell toll.
I’m backing DDP this time around, and for good reason. He’s a well-rounded wrecking machine, unloading power punches at will while keeping the constant danger of a submission lurking if the fight hits the canvas. And something tells me we’re in for a taste of that on Saturday night. Now, Strickland is undoubtedly one of the sharpest boxers in the middleweight division, but his game lacks variety. That could be his undoing. He’ll bring the heat and make life miserable for the champ, but nothing Du Plessis isn’t built to withstand. (Prediction: Dricus Du Plessis)
Aakrit Sharma: Here we go again! This is easily one of the weirdest matchups stylistically in the UFC middleweight division because Du Plessis’ style is incomprehensible on any given day, while Strickland just manages to make every fight close with his constant teeps, jabs, and defense. Strickland is undoubtedly a better striker than Du Plessis in my mind, and he was able to neutralize the South African’s wrestling to a large extent in the first fight. Having said that, it’s hard to pick against Du Plessis at this point in his career. He’s arguably in his physical prime, undefeated in the UFC, and has beaten the likes of Robert Whittaker, Strickland, and Adesanya in back-to-back fights.
Du Plessis has flaws — a lot of them, in fact. However, his willingness to never back down and come up with the most unorthodox techniques makes him the most dangerous middleweight in the world. Technically, there is no way to prepare for a fighter like this, as he rarely showcases any patterns in his striking or ground game. If Strickland yet again sticks to his overly defensive and safe style, I’m sure the champion will already be a lot more prepared than their last outing. The challenger also rarely shows the intent to finish his fights which should work against him at UFC 312.
Based on his grit and recent momentum, I’m picking Dricus Du Plessis to retain his middleweight championship at UFC 312 this weekend. (Prediction: Dricus Du Plessis)
Consensus: 4-0 Dricus Du Plessis
That’ll do it for our UFC 312 staff picks! What do you think? Do your predictions look similar? Let us know in the comments section! Also, you can check out the full UFC 312 card below.
Main Card:
Middleweight Championship: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Women’s Strawweight Championship: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato
Welterweight: Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
Preliminary Card:
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos
Lightweight: Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Women’s Flyweight: Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil
Bantamweight: Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria
Early Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Rongzhu vs. Kody Steele
Welterweight: Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef
Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli
Flyweight: HyunSung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
Be sure to keep it right here on MMANews.com for all the results, highlights, and updates on UFC 312!
After the UFC 311 lost its main event on late notice last month, Saturday’s challenger may have given the promotion a scare with his recent motorcycle mishap during the filming of UFC 312 Embedded. In the footage, Strickland attempted to show off for the cameras but ended up taking a spill.
The incident brings to mind other fighters who have suffered serious motorcycle accidents before major UFC events, including Jose Aldo and Frank Mir, some of whom faced nearly career-ending injuries. Strickland’s fall occurred while attempting a wheelie, resulting in him losing control and falling off the back of the bike.
“Gotta let it warm up, like a woman—gotta ease her into it, get her right,” Strickland said. “Motorcycles are fun because they’re f*cking scary. Every time you get on one, your butthole puckers a little bit and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is real scary, but it’s real fun.’”
Alex Pereira has extra incentive to support Sean Strickland in his upcoming fight at UFC 312, where Strickland will challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title in a rematch.
Leading up to the fight, Strickland has revealed that Pereira harbors a strong dislike for Du Plessis. This tension comes after both fighters previously expressed interest in facing each other, with each willing to change weight classes to make the bout happen.
Although Du Plessis has recently spoken positively about Pereira and his accomplishments, he has also expressed his own ambitions of becoming a two-division champion like “Poatan.” However, according to Strickland, Pereira’s feelings toward Du Plessis are far from neutral.
“I think Alex is an angry motherf*cker,” Strickland said in an interview with the UFC. “Like, Alex is angry, and for some reason, dude, he hates Dricus. Like, I don’t know what you did to him, but he f*cking hates you, dude.
“So, it’s like, the way he looks at Dricus sometimes, I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m fighting him, dawg. Like, it’s me, dude.’ But yeah, no, Alex, he just has that hate in his heart, and he’s a good dude, so he’s out there, and I was like, ‘Let’s come on, let’s get it in.’”
“I wouldn't want to f****** fight me either.”
Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) hopes to put on a show for fans as he looks to settle his score with Dricus Du Plessis and get the belt back. #UFC312
Self-proclaimed hardcore American Sean Strickland is not new to controversies. As much as he is known for his uniquely defensive and puzzling fighting style, he is also notorious for his tendency to walk into trouble by making outrageous and unfiltered claims on almost any topic.
This time around, the former UFC middleweight champion captured the media’s attention with his bold take on UFC’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
During the UFC 312 Media Day in Australia, Strickland could not hold back when asked about Dana White comparing the UFC championship to a master key that opens a lot of doors. Here’s what the 32-year-old had to say on the importance of being a UFC champ:
“You know what it is. If you’re a f****g shill. If you’re not, if you’re a f****g c***, like my boy Izzy and you want to go suck off the China government and you don’t have one ounce of freedom of speech or dignity, it opens up a lot of f****g doors.”
The controversial rant did not stop there as he went on to say:
“I mean, hell, like, you know how many uh, what, like the UFC’s buddy buddy with Saudi Arabia now. I shouldn’t say this dude, but I mean, look at my boy Vivic. How many, like, I could be wrong when I say this, weren’t like a significant amount of like the 9/11 guys Saudi, do they have Saudi passports is that what it was?”
Unsurprisingly, Strickland flipped the script in no time and also praised the Saudi people for their wealth as fighters get handsome paychecks when UFC returns to the region with a couple of events each year.
“That is, that are you backing them up? I think that’s what it was, and then the crazy thing about that Saudi Arabia. You know they seem like a real great people, and you gave us a lot of money, so thank you. I’m sure you lined my paycheck, and I appreciate that, but they get off a plane, and they go, and they randomly run into a guy from, like, the intelligence agency, and they go and stay with him.”
This is not the first time Strickland has had Saudi Arabia on his radar. Earlier, when his potential matchup with Khamzat Chimaev was making headlines, he dismissed the idea of traveling to Saudi Arabia and taking on the fight due to apparent cultural differences.
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland evidently wasn’t too impressed by how rival Dricus Du Plessis had his hand raised at the expense of Israel Adesanya last year.
Strickland and Du Plessis are renewing hostilities this week in Sydney, Australia, where they’ll run it back 13 months on from the South African’s title-winning victory over “Tarzan” in Canada.
With that in mind, “Stillknocks” has been touting his evolution as a fighter across the past 12 months, claiming to have grown more as an athlete than Strickland since they last collided.
During a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, the polaziring American responded to those remarks. Suffice to say, he does not agree…
“I don’t know about that,” Strickland said. “Dude, you fought Izzy, and Izzy was beating you in striking. I dog walked Izzy. Don’t get too excited, Izzy. I mean that in a striking sense. Maybe you (Du Plessis) might wrestle a little bit more.
“It was good dude…he took the guy down again. He took the coward’s way out, real bad,” Strickland continued. “He’s supposed to be a strong South African, but wants to wrestle him. Real bad, dude. At the end of the day, he fought well, but you’re gonna let the Chinaman beat you in striking, which we all remember. … I don’t like to wrestle. I’m a grown ass man. I do the right things. I stand and strike.”
Those comments are not surprising given the lead-up to Saturday’s UFC 312 pay-per-view, which has seen the challenger lay down a striking-only challenge to Du Plessis.
Given how quick the South African was to shut that down, Strickland’s takedown defense could be tested come fight night at Qudos Bank Arena.
Dricus Du Plessis has revealed that he walks around 230 lbs when not in training camp, which is shocking, considering that he fights in the UFC middleweight division that has an upper limit of 185 lbs.
It is normal for combat sports athletes to experiment a little and choose a weight division in which they feel agile, durable, and powerful. You might not notice it as a fan, but weight cutting, over the years, has become a very complex and integral part of the sport.
From Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov to Yoel Romero and Deiveson Figueiredo, some of the biggest names out there have faced significant weight-cut complications throughout their career. Most of the times, fights are canceled due to weight misses and fines are imposed on the fighter who weighs in over the limit.
The South African understands the importance of weight cutting well and has a proper team to help him fight in middleweight without health and fitness-related worries. In a recent interview with Mark Bouris ahead of UFC 312 in Australia, “Stillknocks” revealed his walk-in weight:
“Around 102 -105 kgs. That’s me, like, I would say three weeks after a fight, four weeks after a fight. Then you’re training, eating whatever you didn’t eat in the last 12 weeks. You’re eating whatever you want, drinking a lot of beer and enjoying life a little for that period because you have to do that. You have to unwind and also, I love this sport more than anything. So, you also have that break.”
Since Du Plessis fights at 185lbs (approximately 83.9 kg), he cuts 15 to 20 kgs in the fight camp to make it to the weigh-in. However, it is important to note that fighters get a couple of days to rehydrate before the actual fight which is why they look different on fight day compared to weigh-in day.
Du Plessis also recalled the days when he used to compete at 170lbs:
“When I was 25 , 26 you know my body just became heavier and bigger, so to make that weight, my body fat was like 3%. and I made the weight, but every shot I would take feels like somebody’s hitting me with a baseball bat and that’s It. I said no I’m not doing this anymore because I’m going to lose unnecessary fights and it took the joy out of sport because my diet had to, I had one week off in terms of just diet and then I’d start dieting for the next fight because I would go up from 77 getting in the cage at around 92. A week later, I’m a 100 kilos again so then the whole process start all over and that’s not healthy.”
Along with the weight cut, Du Plessis highlighted why proper rehydration is a big deal for fighters who’re expected to take a lot of damage in every outing:
“We need to get punched in the face, you need to be able to perform for the timing, it’s I mean you have to be able to perform at the highest level on earth, you know cardio wise, muscle endurance all of that I mean whole body is consist of water so if your brain, I mean the shots you take so you have to all that in consideration when you’re cutting this weight and do it in such a manner where it doesn’t negatively affect your fights.”
Based on the numbers stated above, it is safe to say that Du Plessis is a huge middleweight like Alex Pereira, who currently holds light heavyweight gold in the UFC.
After taking on a couple more contenders at middleweight like Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov, the middleweight kingpin can definitely consider moving up a weight class as his physique is suited to compete in two weight divisions.
Topping the lineup will be reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis, who is tasked with getting the better of a familiar foe in Sean Strickland if he’s to record a second successful title defense.
Also set to make the walk on Saturday will be the likes of heavyweight Justin Tafa, featherweight Jack Jenkins, and bantamweight Aleksandre Topuria, brother of UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria.
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 Betting Odds
Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC 312 (as of 2/3), courtesy of DraftKings.
Main Card:
Dricus Du Plessis (-198) vs. Sean Strickland (+164)
Zhang Weili (+102) vs. Tatiana Suarez (-122)
Justin Tafa (+120) vs. Tallison Teixeira (-142)
Jimmy Crute (+136) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (-162)
Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
Preliminary Card:
Jack Jenkins (+185) vs. Gabriel Santos (-225)
Tom Nolan (+120) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (-142)
Wang Cong (-485) vs. Bruna Brasil (+370)
Colby Thicknesse (+330) vs. Aleksandre Topuria (-425)
Early Preliminary Card:
Rongzhu (+200) vs. Kody Steele (-245)
Kevin Jousset (-245) vs. Jonathan Micallef (+200)
Quillan Salkilld (-550) vs. Anshul Jubli (+410)
HyunSung Park (-218) vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (+180)
Fight week for the UFC 312 pay-per-view this Saturday has kicked off with the release of the promotion’s latest Countdown episode.
Under the spotlight in this edition is the headline rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland and the co-main event between Zhang Weili and Tatiana Suarez.
If the South African is to continue his rule atop the 185-pound mountain, he must stall the title ambitions of a familiar foe in Strickland (29-6). Since having his championship reign quickly ended by “Stillknocks,” the polarizing American has recorded a sole win over Paulo Costa to earn a shot at redemption.
Before those two run it back in the main event at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, another UFC title will be at stake.
The strawweight gold will be contested by current champ Zhang (25-3) and undefeated contender Suarez (10-0). While “Magnum” will return 10 months on from the second defense of her sophomore title reign opposite Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300, the Californian challenger is set to make the walk for the first time since a statement-making victory over ex-champ Jéssica Andrade in August 2023.
Sean Strickland intends to remind Islam Makhachev that the UFC’s distinct weight classes exist for a reason.
Following his commanding fourth title defense against Renato Moicano at UFC 311, the lightweight champion’s aspirations to conquer a second weight class have reached new heights — something he has been expressing for some time now.
As a result, Makhachev has proposed an ambitious vision, declaring that his physique and skill set are more than capable of propelling him up two weight classes to take on middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis.
Islam Makhachev says he could move to middleweight and beat Dricus Du Plessis after #UFC311 but Alex Pereira at 205 is "too much." 😳 pic.twitter.com/I7wF30O6G9
Strickland is poised for a title rematch with Du Plessis, which will headline UFC 312 next weekend. If “Tarzan” secures victory in this highly anticipated showdown, it’s almost unfathomable to think that the first defense of his second reign as 185-pound champion could be against Makhachev.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Strickland was probed about the possibility of facing Makhachev should the Russian champion decide to step into his division.
“We fought on the same card once, right? Bro, I actually really like that guy,” Strickland told. “He’s actually a really f**king good dude, which is funny because I think a lot of Muslims don’t like me because I talk a lot of sh*t. But he’s a good dude.”
The outspoken American fighter went on to suggest that Makhachev might be able to handle a move up to welterweight, but stepping into the middleweight division would be a bridge too far for him.
“Again, there’s weight classes for a f*king reason. Stay in your weight class, maybe do 170 [pounds], but there are weight classes for a f**king reason, dude. I don’t want to talk too much sh*t on you because I like you, but stay in your weight class.”
Strickland and Makhachev both featured on the UFC 302 card this past June, where Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title with a submission victory over Dustin Poirier, while “Tarzan” triumphed over Paulo Costa, securing himself a second shot at the middleweight crown.
Israel Adesanya isn’t buying into Sean Strickland’s stand-and-bang ultimatum for reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis ahead of their rematch.
Their initial clash was a savage striking war, and Strickland is hell-bent on keeping it just as intense for their rematch.
In a fiery social media video earlier this month, “Tarzan” urged Du Plessis to “be a f**king man” and stick to the battle on the feet, dismissing any grappling exchanges when they meet in the “Land Down Under.”
“The Last Stylebender” shares a history with both men and will be keeping a close eye on the UFC 312 headliner, having faced them in his last two outings before shifting his focus to Nassourdine Imavov for his return at UFC Saudi Arabia this Saturday.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Adesanya shared his thoughts on Strickland’s striking-only proposal for Du Plessis. The seasoned former UFC middleweight champion trashed the outspoken American’s suggestion, pointing out that it reflects poorly on Strickland to try and remove an essential aspect of a MMA fight.
“That’s kind of silly,” Adesanya said. “It’s silly to say. I don’t think he means it because Dricus is good at what he does. Trying to take that away from him would be you’re not really proving you’re the best then.”
While the first encounter between Du Plessis and Strickland was a closely contested affair, Adesanya, drawing from his own experience, still backs Du Plessis to successfully defend his title at UFC 312.
“Look, I think Dricus is probably going to win that fight. He’s great at what he does.”
Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, disclosed earlier this week that reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Pereira will lend his seasoned expertise to the outspoken fighter as he eyes a second shot at the 185-pound title.
Pereira himself is preparing to put his belt on the line for the fourth time against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313, set for March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After Pereira knocked out Strickland at UFC 276 in 2022, the two formed a camaraderie and regularly train alongside each other. UFC 312 will mark the second time “Poatan” corners Strickland, having previously been in his corner at UFC 297, where the American lost his title to Du Plessis in a gritty split decision.
During a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, “Stillknocks” laughed off Pereira cornering Strickland at UFC 312, dismissing it as a non-factor. He pointed to the Brazilian’s presence at UFC 297, where Strickland still lost.
“He was in the corner in the first fight too,” Du Plessis said. “I mean, they don’t even speak the same language. It doesn’t really make it much of a difference whether he’s in the corner or not. Strickland could barely understand his own coach who’s also American. How is he going to understand Alex Pereira [laughs]?”
After capturing the middleweight title in January last year, Du Plessis has defended it once, securing a submission victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August.
Meanwhile, Strickland has stepped into the Octagon just once since losing the belt, edging out Paulo Costa via split decision at UFC 303 last June.
Daniel Cormier has given his take on the growing partnership between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland. He recently cautioned Pereira about overextending himself.
Pereira is set to defend his title for the fourth time against former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev on March 8 at UFC 313. Meanwhile, Strickland is scheduled to compete for the 185-pound belt in a rematch against current champion Dricus du Plessis on February 8 at UFC 312.
“Poatan” will be in Strickland’s corner for the fight, marking the second time he has taken on that role.
He was also part of Strickland’s team at UFC 297, where the American lost the middleweight title to du Plessis via a close split decision. Pereira and Strickland formed a friendship after their fight in 2022, which the Brazilian won by knockout.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier highlighted the depth of their bond.
“We don’t know what those training sessions look like, but I think what you don’t understand as people on the outside is it’s more than just the training,” Cormier said. “It’s the bond that’s built outside of the training. How much time are these guys spending together to build a relationship once they are outside of the gym? This, to me, tells me that Pereira and Strickland are building a relationship that’s very strong. Why? Because we already know that Pereira has a fight on the books. Las Vegas. UFC 313.
“What we do know is that Alex Pereira is going to be fighting a guy who could be his most formidable opponent because of the style. But we also have to take into effect that his relationship with Strickland is so strong that he’s willing to travel across the world to corner him. To me, it seems dangerous. To me, it seems risky for Alex to go all the way to Australia knowing everything that goes into a training camp and how hard that travel can be on your body when you’re preparing to continue to defend your world championship. So how strong is that bond? How much does Sean Strickland now mean to Alex Pereira for him to take that risk? Because trust me, it is a risk.”
Sean Strickland is confident that he can improve upon his performance at UFC 297 in order to reclaim the middleweight title. After shocking the world by beating Israel Adesanya for the belt at UFC 293, Strickland’s first title defence came in January last year against Dricus Du Plessis.
The fight came right down to the wire with the judges scoring the fight in favor of the challenger, seeing Du Plessis become the new champion via a split decision. Strickland has developed a trademark style in recent years which has led to many questioning what he can do differently in his rematch with the South African at UFC 312 on February 8.
Whilst “Stillknocks” has a wide variety of attacks at his disposal, Strickland is very much the opposite with the former champ utilizing a fairly straight forward approach that relies heavily on defense and pressure. He recognizes that Du Plessis is a good opponent but he believes that the two men simply have different approaches, rather than one having the advantage over the other.
In an interview with Mike Bohn for MMA Junkie, the challenger spoke about what he expects from his main event clash in Australia.
“It comes down to what I said [before about] f***ing Dricus [du Plessis] on that short bus. I respect him for it. He goes f***ing full send… But you know, you’re a wrecking ball, I’m a f***ing scalpel. It just comes down to who’s better.”
The big question heading into the title fight rematch is whether Strickland can make small adjustments to his game plan in order to make it more effective the second time around. Having had his moments in their first encounter, he’s clearly confident that he will get his hand raised at the second time of asking.
”Last time I think I was better. This time, I think I’m gonna f***ing piece you apart. Your face will look the exact same after (as last fight) if not worse.”
Sean Strickland is going to have one of his former opponents in his corner once again when he returns at UFC 312. The former middleweight champion has struck up a great relationship with Alex Pereira ever since the two men faced each other inside the Octagon at UFC 276 in 2022.
Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, recently confirmed that “Poatan” will be a part of his coaching staff on February 8 in Australia when he takes on Dricus Du Plessis in a rematch for the 185-pound gold. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Strickland told Mike Bohn that having Pereira step in was his idea.
“Alex was out there and I asked him like, ‘You’re out there, if you’re free, come on through’. I asked Eric as well and he said he’s down. He’s a good f****** dude. He has a tough fight coming up with Ankalaev and if he needs me for that to help, I’ll be out there helping him so it kind of goes mutual.”
The most surprising element of this is that whilst Pereira has cornered Strickland in the past, he has his own huge fight coming up the following month at UFC 313 in Las Vegas. His opponent on that night, Magomed Ankalaev, has also spent some time training with Strickland at Xtreme Couture in the fight capital but this hasn’t been the case for his recent camps.
Strickland said that with that in mind, there isn’t a conflict of interests when it comes to choosing which guy to help out.
“Alex has gone out of his way to help me. Me and Ankalaev, we have this mutual respect in the same place and Ankalaev’s a great guy but if Alex needs me after this fight, I’ll be going to Connecticut to give him some work.”
When asked about what Pereira brings to the table as a cornerman for his upcoming title fight, Strickland spoke more about the character of the light heavyweight champion than anything else. He values the Brazilian as someone that he would fight alongside in the street and having those kinds of people make the walk with him is an asset.
Strickland stated that the friendship between him and Pereira doesn’t even run that deep but there is a lot of respect between them. He spoke about how it’s impossible to not be impressed and inspired by what “Poatan” has been able to accomplish after turning his life around to become a huge star in combat sports after finding himself in a rough spot.
“Dude, we’re not even that close. We don’t even speak the same language, he doesn’t speak English. It’s more of like and you got to have respect for Alex. Like dude, where did that man come from? A tire shop, dude. He came from literally nothing and has made a life for himself. As an American, Alex is kind of the American dream. Likes guns. You know, as an American, you have to have respect for someone with that kind of drive and dedication.”
In the lead-up to his rematch with the South African in Sydney, Australia, Strickland hasn’t been short on top-tier training partners over at Xtreme Couture. And one of his most prominent teammates is Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen.
Eblen is 16-0 as a professional and has held Bellator gold since a dominant decision victory to dethrone Gegard Mousasi in 2022. He’s since defended the title three times, twice against Fabian Edwards, and defeated Impa Kasanganay to win a “PFL vs. Bellator Champion of Champions” Super Belt.
The 33-year-old’s future is somewhat uncertain after the PFL announced the end of the Bellator brand. While the promotion will no doubt be keen to have Eblen front and center as it enters a new era, Strickland hopes his teammate’s future lies in the Octagon.
He showed as much in a recent post on his Instagram Stories, which saw him ask the PFL to release “Johnny Pressure” in order to facilitate a move to the UFC.
The PFL has been dealing with many unhappy Bellator titleholders in recent times, with both Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix publicly requesting their releases after not receiving their desired level of activity in 2024.
Eblen, meanwhile, has remained relatively tight-lipped about his feelings toward the PFL — though he did express some confusion over his status as a Bellator champ following the elimination of the brand this year.
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland will have a familiar face in his corner in Australia early next month.
Strickland is set to headline the promotion’s second pay-per-view of the new year, UFC 312 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Feb. 8. There, he will look to exact revenge on Dricus Du Plessis and win back the 185-pound gold.
The polarizing American will be back at the venue inside of which he became champ in September 2023 by outpointing Israel Adesanya. He’ll hope to repeat that feat in a rematch with Du Plessis, who brought “Tarzan’s” reign to an end in its first defense 12 months ago.
And in his bid to reclaim the throne, Strickland is employing the help of a prominent former opponent-turned-occasional training partner.
“We will have Alex Pereira in the corner, so dropping the news right now,” coach Eric Nicksick said told The Schmo.. “He’s a good friend of Sean. He’s a great training partner. Obviously, these guys have fought, but after the fight, I think it takes a man to go and learn from the guy who caught you with something.”
Pereira and Strickland shared the cage in the summer of 2022, with “Poatan” violently stopping the latter in the first round to secure his title shot opposite Israel Adesanya later in the year.
The pair have since formed a friendship and have frequently been seen training together. The Brazilian has also cornered his ex-opponent in the past, assuming the role for Strickland’s narrow defeat to Du Plessis in Canada last January.
Dana White and co. will have their fingers crossed that there isn’t a repeat of the late withdrawal in Los Angeles earlier this month when the promotion heads Down Under for UFC 312.
Their middleweight championship rematch won’t be the only title fight on the UFC 312 card, with strawweight queen Zhang Weili also set to defend her throne opposite undefeated challenger Tatiana Suarez.
While anticipation is building for those contests, fans will be well aware that no matchup is certain to go down until the cage door closes behind the athletes.
That much was evident a few weeks back when Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of the UFC 311 main event, forcing the promotion to find a new foe for Islam Makhachev on just 24 hours’ notice. The Dagestani ultimately faced Renato Moicano, whom he steamrolled in minutes.
Disappointment was evident when the highly awaited second clash between Makhachev and Tsarukyan fell through, but that scenario hasn’t convinced the UFC to make additional arrangements for the second PPV of the year.
Per MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin, no fighters are currently expected to make the long-haul flight to Australia to serve as backup for the UFC 312 main or co-main events.
Unless something changes or there's a behind the scenes deal I'm not aware of, #UFC312 won't feature any backup fighters for the title bouts. #UFChttps://t.co/VCPABEXWSH
The organization has often paid contenders to hit the scale as alternative options should injury or illness strike late in the day. But that hasn’t been the case since Tom Aspinall did so back at UFC 309 in November.
Backups were neither present for Alexandre Pantoja’s title defense at UFC 310 against Kai Asakura nor the pair of championship clashes on Jan. 18. UFC 312 will now make it three PPVs on the bounce in that regard.
