UFC 312 was hosted in Sydney, Australia on February.9. A pair of champions gave the fans an exciting fight night as they dished out some brutal beatings on title challengers. Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, dominated titleholder Sean Strickland while women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili battered Tatiana Suarez in the co main evening event. 

The most anticipated fight of the night was the rematch of rivalries Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. This is a rivalry that started in 2024.In january 2024 Du Plessis won by majority decision in a controversial fight that earned fight of the night. Some of the MMA fans, including Strickland, felt robbed of the title and have since demanded a rematch. 

In attendance at the UFC 312 was Brazilian mixed martial artist and former kickboxing champion, Alex Pereira who watched the fights ringside alongside former kickboxer and mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis defeated Strickland in a fight that wasn’t even close. Shawn didn’t seem to have an answer for Du Plessis and seemed to have not been adequately prepared for his rematch. For someone who was so eager for a rematch due to feeling robbed in the first fight, Fans were disappointed in Stricklands’ performance. 

Du Plessis handled anything Strickland threw at him and forced Strickland to be very tentative in coming forward. In Round four, Du Plessis landed a strong right hand on Strickland’s nose, busting it open. Strickland did his best to continue through the rest of the fight, but he just could not put anything together for a response. 

This fight put an end to the debate about DDP being deserving of the win in the first match, putting respect on his name and showing people that he cannot be underestimated. 

Meanwhile, Zhang did the same to her challenger. Zhang escaped a first-round takedown from Suarez, who had many failed attempts to deliver her well-known win tactic. Zhang, who had a belt to lose, put on a well-striking display and gave Tatiana no room to even try. Her speed proved to be too much for Suarez to handle and react to. Zhang threw in a late takedown in Round 4 for measuring and showing off her full skill set.  

Both Champions of the main events seemed very satisfied with their performances gaining massive respect from their opponents and Fans.