Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is inching closer to its upcoming UFC 312: “Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2” pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for Sat., Feb. 8, 2025 (Feb. 9 local time) inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
UFC 312 will be headlined by the middleweight rematch between reigning 185-pound titleholder, Dricus Du Plessis, and former division champion, Sean Strickland. In the UFC 312 co-main event, current strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, will defend her 115-pound strap against undefeated division phenom, Tatiana Suarez.
The promotion is not expected to enlist backup fighters for either title fight, according to MMA Fighting, despite the drama that occurred at UFC 311 earlier this month in Los Angeles. Top lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan, withdrew the day before his Islam Makhachev title fight, forcing the promotion to rework the card.
I guess those six-figure standbys are starting to add up.
Fortunately for matchmakers, both Du Plessis and Strickland are two of the most reliable fighters on the roster, so it’s unlikely either combatant would run into any sort of trouble during fight week. In addition, losing Weili or Suarez is unlikely to impact the promotion’s ability to sell UFC 312 tickets or move PPV units.
For the rest of the UFC 312 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
