UFC 311 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering, UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.
The promotion was in Los Angeles this past week, where the Intuit Dome played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its opening numbered event of the new year. Of note were headline wins for Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili, as well as important victories for Ji?í Procházka, Jailton Almeida, and Reinier de Ridder.
While the aftermath of the Jan. 18 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the lightweight title picture to the middleweight championship conversation.
At UFC 312, set for the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Feb. 8, reigning kingpin Dricus Du Plessis will open his account for the new year, once again in defense of his 185-pound gold. After following his crowning against Sean Strickland with a retention opposite Israel Adesanya, the South African will next run it back with Strickland.
Stakes will also be high in the co-headliner, as two-time strawweight champ Zhang Weili looks to defend her gold for the third time since winning it back at the expense of Carla Esparza in 2022. In her way of a continued reign will be the undefeated Tatiana Suarez.
Tafa, Crute, Matthews Set The Stage For High-Profile Headliners At UFC 312
Before Du Plessis and Weili defend their belts, a number of local names will take to the Octagon looking to make the most of their position on the major UFC 312 card.
That includes heavyweight powerhouse Justin Tafa. Against undefeated newcomer Tallison Teixeira, the Australian-Samoan will look to bounce back from a decision loss to Karl Williams last March and return to the knockout ways that saw him sleep Austen Lane, Parker Porter, and Harry Hunsucker during a four-fight unbeaten streak between 2021 and 2023.
Prior to that, another home favorite will be in action as light heavyweight Jimmy Crute returns almost two years on from a submission loss to Alonzo Menifield. “The Brute” hasn’t tasted victory since a 2020 KO of Modestas Bukauskas that left him 12-1 and among the most promising prospects at 205 pounds. To revive his career amid a four-fight winless run, the 28-year-old must stall the charge of former LFA champion Rodolfo Bellato.
And opening the UFC 312 main card will be Jake Matthews, a longtime Australian prospect who has failed to live up to his promise thus far. “The Celtic Kid” has exchanged wins and losses across six fights since his most recent winning streak in 2020, and against Francisco Prado next month, he’ll be looking to build some momentum following a decision victory over Phil Rowe last time out.
Those pairings have currently gotten the nod to feature on the main card over another Aussie in Jack Jenkins, who is slated to top the prelims against Gabriel Santos.
See below for the full UFC 312 card, as it stands.
Main Card:
- Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs. Sean Strickland (middleweight championship)
- Zhang Weili (C) vs. Tatiana Suarez (strawweight championship)
- Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira (heavyweight)
- Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato (light heavyweight)
- Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado (welterweight)
Preliminary Card:
- Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos (featherweight)
- Cody Haddon vs. Aleksandre Topuria (bantamweight)
- Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (lightweight)
- HyunSung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (flyweight)
Early Preliminary Card:
- Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli (lightweight)
- Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef (welterweight)
- Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil (flyweight)
- Rongzhu vs. Kody Steele (lightweight)
