Champions Reign Supreme at UFC 312; Du Plessis and Zhang Defend Titles

2025-03-01

Dricus du Plessis and Zhang Weili delivered dominant performances at UFC 312, successfully defending their respective titles in commanding fashion. The event, held at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, showcased the champions’ superiority as they outclassed their challengers in one-sided bouts.

Du Plessis (23-2) retained his UFC middleweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Sean Strickland (29-7). The South African champion nearly swept the scorecards (50-45, 50-45, 49-46), showcasing relentless offense and precision striking. A pivotal moment came in Round 4 when du Plessis shattered Strickland’s nose with a long-range right hand, leaving the challenger bloodied but resilient. Despite Strickland’s toughness, he struggled to mount significant offense against the champion’s aggressive and varied attack. Post-fight, du Plessis declared himself a top-three pound-for-pound fighter and set his sights on UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who was in attendance.

In the co-main event, Zhang Weili (26-3) defended her UFC strawweight title with a masterful performance against previously undefeated Tatiana Suarez (10-1). Zhang outclassed Suarez in striking and even outwrestled the grappling specialist, securing a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45). The champion’s speed and versatility proved too much for Suarez, who struggled to implement her wrestling-heavy game plan after an early takedown in Round 1. Zhang’s dominance solidified her status as one of the sport’s elite fighters.

The event also featured notable performances from heavyweight prospect Talisson Teixeira, who scored a first-round knockout of Justin Tafa, and a majority draw between light heavyweights Jimmy Crute and Rodolfo Bellato. Jake Matthews earned a unanimous decision victory over Francisco Prado in a welterweight bout.

UFC 312 highlighted the champions’ continued dominance while setting the stage for future high-profile matchups in both the middleweight and strawweight divisions.

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