UFC 312 Fight Night: du Plessis vs Strickland 2 - Odds, Predictions & Picks

• Dricus du Plessis looks to defend his MW title against the man he won it from

• Weili defends her women’s SW title against the undefeated Suarez

• This is the UFC’s first Australian card since September 2023

UFC 312: du Plessis vs. Strickland 2

The odds for this match are provided by the FanDuel Sportsbook. Click the link to place your bets: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

UFC 312: du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 - Picks & Predictions

(C) Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland - Middleweight championship

Our pick: Dricus du Plessis (-215) at FanDuel

(C) Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez - Women’s strawweight championship

Our pick: Zhang Weili (-113) at FanDuel

Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira - Heavyweight division

Our pick: Tallison Teixeira (-148) at FanDuel

Jimmy Crute vs Rodolfo Bellato - Light heavyweight division

Our pick: Rodolfo Bellato (-170) at FanDuel

Jake Matthews vs Francisco Prado - Welterweight division

Our pick: Jake Matthews (-230) at FanDuel

Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland - Middleweight Championship

Kickboxing black belt and current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis looks to defend his title for the second time against the man he won it from last January: Sean Strickland.

Du Plessis won the title at UFC 297 and has gone on to defend it once against former champion Israel Adesanya - whom he submitted in the fourth round at UFC 305 last August.

Since losing the title, Sean Strickland has also fought only once - defeating Paulo Costa by split-decision at UFC 302 last June. 

Strickland will stand one-inch taller but both men will have an equal reach and the champion is two-years younger than the challenger. 

Listed at -215 via FanDuel, the champ du Plessis is the favorite in this main event match up.

To find out how to place your bets for this middleweight title main event, check out our ultimate UFC betting guide to get started.

Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez - Women’s Strawweight Championship

Looking to defend her title for a third-straight time, two-time women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili will have to get through the number-one ranked undefeated Tatiana Suarez in order to accomplish that mission.

Weili regained her title from Carla Esparza in 2022 and defended it once in 2023 against Amanda Lemos and once again in 2024 against Yan Xioanan. Although not the most active fighter on the UFC roster, she has still been more active in recent years than her opponent.

Plagued by injury woes in her career, Tatiana Suarez was inactive from 2020-2022. She returned in 2023 and earned two wins to stay undefeated but was inactive throughout 2024 (she was pulled out of two separate fights last year).

Suarez will have a height and reach advantage over the champion, however, and is listed exactly the same as the champion by the oddsmakers. This is a -113 pick ‘em bet via FanDuel.

Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira - Heavyweight Division

Other than UFC experience, there aren’t many “surface level” advantages for Australia’s Justin Tafa heading into his fight this weekend. 

Tafa takes on newcomer Tallison Teixeira - a younger, undefeated fighter who will stand seven-inches taller and have a nine-inch reach advantage. 

Tafa is coming off of a decision loss to Karl Williams that snapped a four-fight unbeaten streak. Teixeira is coming off of a first-round KO win on the Contender Series. This Saturday will mark his promotional debut.

The undefeated prospect is the betting favorite at -148 via FanDuel.

Jimmy Crute vs Rodolfo Bellato - Light Heavyweight Division

Plagued by injuries over the years, Australian-born BJJ black belt Jimmy Crute is just 0-3-1 in his last four fights and hasn’t fought since July 2023 where he suffered a submission loss to Alonzo Menifield at UFC 290.

He is looking for a big win this weekend when he takes on Brazil’s Rodolfo Bellato. 

This will be Bellato’s second UFC appearance. He had a TKO win on the Contender Series and carried that momentum into his UFC debut where he earned a second-round TKO win over Ihor Potieria. 

However, like Crute,  Bellato has not fought since 2023.

Bellato will stand one-inch taller, have a 3.5-inch reach advantage and is listed as a -170 favorite to win at FanDuel.

Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado - Welterweight Division

The first Australian fighter to appear on the main card will be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jake Matthews. 

Matthews is just 3-3 in his last six fights but is coming off of a recent decision win over Philip Roe that took place at UFC 302 last June. 

This fight will mark Prado’s third appearance for the UFC. He currently holds a promotional record of 1-2. His last fight took place exactly one year ago. He was on the losing end of a decision to Daniel Zellhuber.

Matthew is listed at -230 via FanDuel, which makes him the largest betting favorite on the main card.

How to Watch UFC 312: du Plessis vs. Strickland 2

• Location: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia

• When: Saturday, February 8

• Time: 10PM EST

• How: PPV, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN+