Tag: Sean Strickland

UFC 312 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2, Zhang vs. Suarez, & More

UFC 312 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup. The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, Feb. 8, 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 […]

UFC 312 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup.

The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, Feb. 8, 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.

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.

Before they go to battle, the co-main event will see another champ in action as Zhang Weili returns to defend her strawweight gold for the third time since reclaiming the belt in 2022. To ensure her reign continues, “Magnum” must stall the title ambitions of undefeated challenger Tatiana Suarez.

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)

VIDEO: UFC 312 Countdown Episode Ahead Of Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 & Zhang vs. Suarez

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. Saturday’s UFC 312 lineup is topped by […]

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.

Saturday’s UFC 312 lineup is topped by a championship clash, with middleweight kingpin Du Plessis (22-2) looking to add a second successful defense to his reign, which got underway with a narrow victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024.

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.

Ahead of those two contests in Australia, fans can catch previews in the full episode of UFC 312 Countdown on the promotion’s official YouTube channel.

UFC 312 Countdown: Full Episode

Dricus Du Plessis Explains That Sean Strickland Isn’t There to Fight: “Threw a Jab and a Teep for Five Rounds.”

Dricus Du Plessis Explains That Sean Strickland Isn't There to Fight: "Threw a Jab and a Teep for Five Rounds."Sean Strickland may say he’s ready to fight to the death every time he steps inside the Octagon, but…

Dricus Du Plessis Explains That Sean Strickland Isn't There to Fight: "Threw a Jab and a Teep for Five Rounds."

Sean Strickland may say he’s ready to fight to the death every time he steps inside the Octagon, but he sure doesn’t fight like a guy ready to die.

After surrendering the middleweight world title a little more than a year ago, Strickland will look to reclaim the crown when he meets reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 on February 8 in Sydney, Australia.

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The first time around, Strickland came up short on two of the three scorecards, suffering a closely contested split decision. The fight itself didn’t exactly set the world on fire — a frustrating reality considering the intense buildup and Strickland’s demand that he and the South African star go into the bout ready to “fight to the death.” Instead, Strickland stayed on his back foot for much of the fight, leaning on his jab to try and outpoint ‘DDP’ throughout the five-round affair.

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Recently, Strickland suggested that he and Du Plessis enter a pact ahead of their sequel scrap in The Land Down Under.

“I’m going to need you to be a f**king man and I’m gonna need you to stand up, not go to your knees, and we’re gonna need to f**king strike like men,” Strickland demanded in a video. “I know you like to wrestle, and you like to f**kng choke people out and do some gay s**t, dude but I’ll make a pact with you. You make a pact with me that we f**kng stand up like f**king men and we settle this s**t like men.’’

Du Plessis says Sean Strickland is there to defend, not fight

Du Plessis was quick to dismiss any such pact with Strickland and criticized ‘Tarzan’ for constantly talking a big game during the pre-fight festivities but failing to live up to the hype once he’s inside the cage.

“My response was clear. ‘There are no pacts between lions and men.’ That was my direct response,” Du Plessis said. “But you know, that was exactly what we did the last time,” Du Plessis said in an interview with Mark Bouris. “He said, ‘To death. Let’s go. Let’s fight to the death.’ And the man threw a jab and a teep for five rounds.

“In that—this is a stat, you can go check it—for 23 minutes, I went forward. He went forward for two minutes. That is a very clear indication of who’s there to fight and who’s there to defend.”

In their first meeting, Du Plessis landed six of 11 attempted takedowns but only notched two minutes of control time. Still, those takedowns are likely what swung the decision in favor of ‘DDP’ considering Strickland landed 36 more significant strikes during the contest.

Strickland also landed at a higher percentage, connecting with 42% of his shots while ‘DDP’ landed at a 38% clip.

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Sean Strickland On Islam Makhachev’s Middleweight Hopes: ‘Stay In Your Weight Class!’

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. However, the […]

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.

However, the Dagestani champion faces a difficult conundrum, as he is on good terms with reigning welterweight champ Belal Muhammad, which complicates his path toward two-division glory.

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.

“Stillknocks” has already cautioned the 155-pound champion that he might be biting off more than he can chew, suggesting it would be wise to rethink his bold move — a sentiment that Strickland fully supports.

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 Weighs In On Sean Strickland’s ‘Silly’ Striking-Only Proposal For Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 312

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. Du Plessis and Strickland are set to reignite their rivalry in the main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 8 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. This highly anticipated rematch comes a […]

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.

Du Plessis and Strickland are set to reignite their rivalry in the main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 8 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. This highly anticipated rematch comes a year after their intense first encounter at UFC 297 in January 2024, where “Stillknocks” clinched a hard-fought split decision to claim the 185-pound crown.

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 South African champion has already dismissed Strickland’s proposals as “ridiculous” and made it clear that he’s unafraid to bring a full spectrum of skills to the Octagon.

“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.”

Sean Strickland Says Donald Trump’s Rallies Often Feel Like “A Hitler speech” in Attempt to Explain Bryce Mitchell

Sean Strickland Says Donald Trump's Rallies Often Feel Like "A Hitler speech" in Attempt to Explain Bryce MitchellUFC athletes Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell have recently drawn significant attention for their controversial statements. The Arkansas-born athlete…

Sean Strickland Says Donald Trump's Rallies Often Feel Like "A Hitler speech" in Attempt to Explain Bryce Mitchell

UFC athletes Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell have recently drawn significant attention for their controversial statements. The Arkansas-born athlete Mitchell praised Adolf Hitler, and while Strickland attempted to explain the athlete’s actions he made some new statements making the matter even more cloudy.

Sean Strickland, Donald Trump, and Hitler

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has a history of making inflammatory remarks. He has openly admitted to being a “former neo-Nazi” and has made numerous racist, homophobic, and sexist comments over the years.

Recently, Bryce Mitchell ignited outrage after making highly offensive comments during the debut episode of his podcast ArkanSanity. Mitchell described Adolf Hitler as a “good guy.”

In an attempt to explain Bryce Mitchell’s actions, Strickland said:

“Bryce is a product of being on the internet too much. Nothing more Nothing less … Bottom line you don’t fix hate with hate. In America or the world. Bryce is a product of the internet.“

Sean Strickland also added:

“I’ve been at a trump rally thinking “wow this feels like a Hitler speech” it is brain washing. Find an enemy, attack the enemy rally the people around the enemy. There is a reason why he rallied millions of people to do evil acts. Hate and fear is the easiest way to get people to march in the direction you want“

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While both fighters continue to compete without formal sanctions from the UFC. UFC President Dana White condemned Mitchell’s remarks as “beyond disgusting,” emphasizing Hitler’s role in orchestrating the deaths of six million Jews during World War II. However, White also stated that Mitchell would not face disciplinary action.

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Sean Strickland will next fight for the UFC middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 later in February.