In an electrifying main event at UFC 312, South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis delivered a commanding performance to retain his UFC middleweight title against the outspoken challenger Sean Strickland. Du Plessis dominated the bout from start to finish, earning a unanimous decision victory and extending his winning streak to nine consecutive fights.
The South African champion’s masterful display of strategy, skill, and conditioning left Strickland, known for his trash talk, with a broken nose and bruised ego. Du Plessis’s superior striking and footwork proved too much for the former middleweight champion, who struggled to find answers throughout the five-round contest.
Co-Main Event: Zhang Weili Dominates Suarez
In the co-main event, Zhang Weili successfully defended her UFC strawweight title, defeating Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision. Weili’s precise and relentless performance solidified her position as one of the top female fighters in the world, continuing her dominance in the strawweight division.
What’s Next for Du Plessis?
Following his victory, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Khamzat Chimaev is next in line to challenge Du Plessis for the middleweight title. The South African champion now looks ahead to the formidable Chimaev as he seeks to continue his reign and undefeated streak in the division.
For now, Du Plessis can savor his triumph, having shut down Strickland’s trash talk and further established himself as one of the world’s best middleweights.
Main Card Results:
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision
- Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision
- Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via first-round TKO (0:35)
- Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato ruled majority draw (29-27, 28-28 x2)
- Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Preliminary Results:
- Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission (rear-naked choke, R3, 2:06)
- Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
- Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Rongzhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via first-round TKO (0:19)
