The UFC is in Sydney, Australia this weekend for the UFC 312 pay-per-view event headlined by a title rematch between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis. While in the co-main event, Weili Zhang faces her toughest title test to date against Tatiana Suarez.
With several cracking fights this weekend, Ben Talintye takes a look at his best bets on the UFC 312 card. Remember you can find all of our MMA pay-per-view previews on our UFC tips page.
UFC 312 Predictions & Betting Tips
Sunday 9th February, 2pm AEDT
Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland first faced off for the title a year ago and their rematch coming now is somewhat surprising given the fact Khamzat Chimaev is the fight everyone wants to see. But regardless this is what we have here and there is plenty to break down.
The pair's first fight went the way of du Plessis but it was a controversial decision that divided opinion. In a bout that was relatively uneventful and uninspiring, the judges favoured du Plessis's takedowns and forward pressure over Strikland's volume.
Since then, du Plessis impressed against former champion Israel Adesanya, although that win hasn't aged overly well. While Strickland put in an underwhelming showing against Paulo Costa.
And realistically du Plessis has little to worry about coming his way from Strickland in the rematch and no longer has the cardio issues that plagued him early in his career, meaning the American can’t just bank on him fading down the stretch.
The South African is more powerful and a better wrestler than Strickland and unless he gets lulled into a jab off, I can't see him not winning the rematch.
Dricus du Plessis to win
$1.50 (4 units)
Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez
I have been high on Tatiana Suarez's title credentials since 2016 and due to consistent injury setbacks, she has taken what feels like an eternity to finally get a shot.
However, since she first burst onto the MMA scene, Weili Zhang has established herself as arguably the most feared woman on the UFC roster. 'Magnum' is not just powerful but after working with the likes of Henry Cejudo has added a wrestling and jiu-jitsu base that makes her incredibly hard to break down and beat. Incredibly, she's only lost one fight in the UFC, a razor-tight decision loss to former champ Rose Namajunus.
So what it boils down to is can she stop the takedown? I personally don't think so and believe Suarez's top pressure will be too much for the champion to handle, likely getting the stoppage around the midway point in the fight.
Tatiana Suarez to win
$1.85 (3 units)
Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos
I cannot believe the odds around Aussie Jack Jenkins here. The 31-year-old comes into this fight on the back of a brutal knockout win over Herbert Burns. Before that, he lost to Chepe Mariscal after a nasty arm injury. But that was his only UFC defeat to date and before the freak injury, he hadn't lost a bout in six years.
His opponent Gabriel Santos is riding high off a win over Yizha, which took him to 1-2 in the UFC. He is a good striker but he isn't the level of Jenkins and looks susceptible to the low leg kick, something Jenkins is renowned for.
Back the Aussie with confidence to get his hand raised as a juicy underdog in front of a roaring home crowd.
Jack Jenkins to win
$3.00 (2 units)
