UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 Fight Card Predictions, Fights To Watch, & Best Bets

With all of the Pre-fight antics & weigh ins complete, we are just over 24 hours away from UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2. Fight fans across the globe including myself are beyond excited for violence & betting opportunities of a card of this magnitude!

Saturday’s card is capped off by the second installment of the Du Plessis vs Strickland matchup after Du Plessis very narrowly defeated Strickland in the first via a close 48-47 split decision.

With such a close result, both fighters are looking to show improvement while also showing adjustments adjacent the first match up. The Co -Main event of Zhang vs Suarez is a fantastic lead up to the big show as well. Zhang will be looking to add another title defense to her record. She will be taking on the rising star in Suarez, who brings such a dangerous aspect to the octagon with her submission skills. Zhang Weilli has proven she’s a world class champion for years, but will she have enough in the bag to stop the Suarez hype?

I created this Best Bets guide to provide deeper analysis on some of the big fights and provide our readers here at Betting News with the best gambling experience possible for UFC 312. Lines are moving, money is coming in and there is less then 24 hours to get our bets in so lets dive into it!

All UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of 7 p.m. 2/7/2025

UFC 312: Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 Main & Co Main Event Analysis, Prediction, Best Bets

Middleweight – Dricus Du Plessis ( C ) vs Sean Strickland Analysis:

Coming off an impressive title defense with a submission victory over former champion Isreal Adesanya, Du Plessis is looking to put the nail in the coffin in his series with Sean Strickland. The first match up left many doubts for UFC fans across the globe. In that matchup we saw Du Plessis struggle to secure consistent takedowns or show his dominance in the striking department. None the less was able to string together his grit, determination, and overcome some of the obstacles Strickland was presenting to secure the split decision victory.

Across the cage, we saw Strickland have success defending takedowns early, and late once Du Plessis was low on energy. Strickland also found his range in the striking department and was having great success when he was able to keep Dricus on the back foot, in order to walk forward and strike with confidence leading the attack with his ever so signature jab. The middle rounds were close and ultimately what decided the fight. Sean found himself on the backfoot being hindered by a cut after an accidental clash of heads.

That is when the current champion shined brightest and did his best work

Strickland has been on the sidelines waiting his turn in line which has the potential to cause some ring rust, but is unlikely due to Stricklands trademark pre-fight sparring sessions in training. He has added training partner and current Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Perreira to his corner for this fight aswell. Will it be enough to make big advancements in the striking at this point in his career?

Du Plessis on the other hand having a much more recent official matchup. He showed vast improvements in his striking and was able to finish the fight once he got it to the mat. The success mainly came by putting Isreal on his back foot & taking charge of the fight. The Champion has shown the improvements & willingness to study the game to produce a better result. If Strickland doesn’t take the fight to him, the eager title challenger could be headed for a similar fate as the first matchup.

Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland Prediction: Du Plessis to win (-225) at BetOnline

Best Bet: Du Plessis to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+325) at BetOnline

Zhang Weilli (C) vs Tatiana Suarez – Strawweight Bout

Zhang Weilli is looking to retain her Strawweight title on Saturday night when she takes on the rising prospect in Suarez.

With many questions left to be answered by Suarez. Including her inactivity as she has only fought 2 times in 6 years. Her striking abilities, as well as her cardio late into fights as us UFC fans and betters have yet to see her go deep into a 5 round fight. Although her grappling skills should not be left to question. She is a high level black belt and submission threat if she has success securing takedowns in her fights.

The odds makers have this fight set at nearly pick em’ lines which seem questionable considering Zhang’s recent dominance.

Zhang is coming into this fight after 3 straight title defenses. She has shown great improvements in her wrestling, her B.J.J and submission threat. After a dominant showing over former champion Carla Esparza, & 2 straight shut outs over Amanda Lemos & Yan Xianon. Some betters should be questioning the odds makers thinking here. With the total being set at 3.5 rds, a rarity for Womens Strawweight title fights. The oddsmakers also think this fight may end sooner rather then later.

Both Zhang and Suarez are very dangerous in their own rights. With how many questions there are on the Suarez side and Zhang’s proven dominance, the total may provide a safer avenue to enjoy this match up.

Zhang Weilli (C) vs Tatiana Suarez Prediction: Zhang Weilli Wins (+114) at BetOnline

Best Bet: Under 3.5 Total rounds (+110)

For an a more in depth breakdown of records and stats for UFC 312, click this link to an article I wrote earlier this week!

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Featured Prelim: Jack Jenkins vs Gabriel Santos – Welterweight Bout

With a high level matchup set to headline the free portion of UFC’s fight card Saturday night, fight fans are in for a treat. Both fighters are highly touted prospects looking to put together win streaks while both coming in off of bounce-back wins.

Jenkins will certainly have the crowd edge being the hometown kid’ from Victoria, Australia. Jenkins has yet to show all of his skills in the octagon due to a gruesome arm injury against Chepe Mariscal. From what we have seen fight fans can surely put together a few key points in his game.

Jenkins leads the charge with some of the more devastating leg kicks in the division. Brutalizing his opponets by just chopping down untill it gives way. He has also shown skills in the grappling department securing over 9 takedowns in his career and keeping a 2.12 TD average in that span, picking up 2 finishes and 2 Decisions.

Santos on the other hand has had a tough run in the UFC so far. He made an impressive debut against highly touted prospect Lerone Murphey fighting to a hard split decision loss. Then going to all out war against another highly touted prospect in David Onama. Yet also again getting the loss & ultimatly getting knocked out late in the 2nd round. He bounced back with a good win his last outing against Yihza.

In all 3 he has shown great grappling, striking, as well as takedown defense as he is strong in most areas. If he fails to stop the takedown, he tends to play off his back a little to much burning and ultimately losing minutes of the fight. This could play a pivotal factor in this matchup with Jenkins who is more then capable of keeping up in the striking with a dangerous takedown threat.

UFC 312 Jack Jenkins vs Gabriel Santos Prediction: Jack Jenkins wins (+190) at BetOnline

Best Bet: Jack Jenkins Moneyline (+190)

A rematch for the MW title…WE. CAN’T. WAIT 👊@DricusDuPlessis vs @SStricklandMMA

[ #UFC312 | Saturday 10pmET | Live on ESPN+ PPV ] pic.twitter.com/GwikFI0NST

— UFC (@ufc) February 7, 2025

UFC 312: Aleksandre Topuria vs Colby Thicknesse – Bantamweight Bout

Aleksandre, brother of Featherweight champion Illia Topuria is looking to make his UFC debut down under. He will be up against Australian prospect in Mcneese. In a likely case of nepotism, there are many questions in this matchup.

Topurias original matchup against Cody Haddon on this same card fell out so the opportunity has fallen on Thicknesse lap on short notice.He is riding a 7 fight unbeaten streak and being cornered by Featherweight goat Alex Volkonovski. Thicknesse is looking to make the most of his opportunity and make a statement of his skills on short notice.

Topuria is coming in off a 2 quick impressive finishes, the only problem in it is they were almost 2 years ago now. He has only had 6 fights total in his career being 5-1. The lack of activity could prove to hinder Topuria yet it is hard to imagine with the champion in his corner.

They should come into this fight with a good game plan & look to make the most of Aleksandres debut with the promotion. The coaching level, skill level , short notice replacement all coupled with Topurias inactivity does not bode well for the 1.5 round total. Both fighters are sure to take their to find their groove and figure each other out.

Alesandre Topuria vs Colby Thicknesse Prediction: Aleksandre Topuria wins (-330) at BetOnline

Best bet: Over 1.5 rounds (-135) at BetOnline

Tom Nolan vs Viacheslav Borshchev – Lightweight Bout

This fight is sure to be absolute fireworks with both Nolan , and Borshchev being predominate strikers with big knockout power that would prefer to keep the fight standing.

Nolan is coming in 8-1 with 5 knockouts on his resume. After an impressive decision victory over Victor Reyes his last PPV outing. Yet he has shown durability issues in his career, being knocked out by Nikolas Motta a year ago.

Borshev has also been proven to have knockout power with 6 of his 7 career wins coming by knockout. Yet winning his last fight by split decision.

The round total of this fight becomes ever more interesting when you add in the durability questions on both sides. As well as each fighters preference to meet in the middle to throw down.

Tom Nolan vs Viacheslav Borshchev Prediction: Tom Nolan Wins via KO/TKO/DQ (+240) BetOnline

Best Bet: Under 1.5 Total Rounds (-125) BetOnline

If one thing is for sure, tommorow nights card is sure to bring the action. I hope this betting guide helps bring more context to your UFC entertainment experience.

If you want my full card of bets, tune into the Violence Report on our network on Twitch every Saturday, or more gambling content like this make sure to follow me on X or Betting News on all platforms!

UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 Schedule & FAQ

When is UFC 312?

• UFC 312 will take place Saturday, Feb 8th, 2025.

Where is UFC 312?

• UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 will go down live at the Kudos Bank Arena in New South Wales , Australia.

What time does UFC 312 start?

• UFC 312 Early Prelims start time: 6 p.m. ET
• UFC 312 Preliminary Card start time: 8 p.m. ET
• UFC 312 Main Card start time: 10 p.m. ET

How to Watch UFC 312

• UFC 312 early Prelim Coverage: FX, Disney+, ESPN+
• UFC 312 Preliminary Card Coverage: ESPN+, ESPNEWS, FX, Disney+
• UFC 312 Main Card Coverage: ESPN+, PPV

How to Bet on UFC 312

• Most international and domestic sportsbooks will carry odds for a fight card of this caliber but click here for some sites and applications us bettors here at Betting News recommend for a great UFC betting experience.