South African mixed martial artist Dricus du Plessis delivered a commanding performance at UFC 312, successfully defending his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in a highly anticipated rematch. The event took place on February 9, 2025, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Du Plessis showcased his striking prowess throughout the bout, utilizing a diverse array of attacks that kept Strickland on the defensive. A pivotal moment occurred in the fourth round when du Plessis landed a powerful right hand, resulting in a broken nose for Strickland. Despite the injury, Strickland continued to fight valiantly, but du Plessis maintained control, leading to a unanimous decision victory with judges scoring the bout 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46 in his favor. (UFC)

This victory marks du Plessis’s second successful title defense, following his previous win over Israel Adesanya. In his post-fight comments, du Plessis expressed respect for Strickland’s resilience and hinted at future matchups, including a potential bout against undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev (talkSPORT)

The co-main event featured Zhang Weili defending her strawweight title against Tatiana Suarez, securing a unanimous decision victory. Additionally, Tallison Teixeira made a notable impact with a first-round TKO over Justin Tafa.

Full UFC 312 Results:

• Main Card:
  • Dricus du Plessis (c) def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
  • Zhang Weili (c) def. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
  • Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via TKO (0:35 of Round 1)
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato ended in a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-27)
  • Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Preliminary Card:
  • Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission (rear-naked choke)
  • Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via TKO
  • Rong Zhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision
  • Jonathan Micallef def. Anshul Jubli via unanimous decision
  • Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via KO (0:19 of Round 1)

Dricus du Plessis’s impressive performance at UFC 312 not only solidifies his standing as the reigning middleweight champion but also continues to inspire pride among South African MMA fans.

For more watch Dricus du Plessis’s post-fight interview here: