UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland and Weili vs. Suarez

UFC 312 features two title fights as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and strawweight champion Zhang Weili defend their titles.

Main Card Highlights

The main event is a rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland for the middleweight title. Du Plessis won their previous encounter in January 2024 by split decision. The co-main event sees Zhang Weili face Tatiana Suarez for the strawweight title.

UFC 312 Post-Fight Press Conference

The post-fight press conference will be streamed live on MMA Junkie following the conclusion of the main event. Expected attendees include the winners of the championship fights, Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland, Zhang Weili, and Tatiana Suarez. UFC CEO Dana White is also expected to participate.

UFC 312 Staff Picks and Predictions

MMA Junkie staff members have made their picks for the main card fights. Here’s a breakdown:

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland

• Records: Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC), Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC)
• Past five: Du Plessis 5-0, Strickland 4-1
• Rankings: Du Plessis No. 1 middleweight, No. 6 pound-for-pound; Strickland No. 2 middleweight, honorable mention pound-for-pound
• Odds: Du Plessis -220, Strickland +180
• Junkie pick results: Du Plessis 9, Strickland 2

Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez

• Records: Weili (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), Suarez (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC)
• Past five: Weili 4-1, Suarez 5-0
• Rankings: Weili No. 1 strawweight, No. 2 pound-for-pound; Suarez No. 2 strawweight, No. 11 pound-for-pound
• Odds: Weili +100, Suarez -120
• Junkie pick results: Suarez 10, Weili 1

Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira

• Records: Tafa (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC), Teixeira (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
• Past five: Tafa 3-2, Teixeira 5-0
• Division: Heavyweight
• Rankings: None
• Odds (as of 02.03.25): Tafa +130, Teixeira -155
• Junkie pick results: Teixeira 10, Tafa 1

Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute

• Records: Bellato (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Crute (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC)
• Past five: Bellato 4-1, Crute 1-3-1
• Division: Light heavyweight
• Rankings: None
• Odds (as of 02.03.25): Bellato -155, Crute +130
• Junkie pick results: Bellato 10, Crute 1

Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado

• Records: Matthews (20-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC), Prado (12-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
• Past five: Matthews 3-2, Prado 3-2
• Division: Welterweight
• Rankings: None
• Odds (as of 02.03.25): Matthews -230, Prado +190
• Junkie pick results: Matthews 6, Prado 5

Preliminary Card Picks

MMA Junkie staff members also made picks for the preliminary card fights:

• Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos: Jenkins 6, Santos 5
• Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Tom Nolan: Nolan 6, Borshchev 5
• Bruna Brasil vs. Wang Cong: Cong 10, Brasil 1
• Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria: Topuria 10, Thicknesse 1
• Kody Steele vs. Rong Zhu: Steele 11, Zhu 0
• Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef: Jousset 8, Micallef 3
• Anshul Jubli vs. Quillan Salkilld: Salkilld 9, Jubli 2