Two UFC titles will be up for grabs this weekend as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis faces Sean Strickland in the UFC 312 main event, a rematch of their January 2024 title fight, and strawweight champion Zhang Weili goes for her third title defense vs. Tatiana Suarez in the co-main. The fight card takes place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN2/Disney+/ESPN+ and early prelims at 6 p.m. on Disney+/ESPN+).
Du Plessis, tied for No. 9 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings and undefeated inside the Octagon, last defended the title against former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August. Strickland, ESPN's No. 2-ranked middleweight, is a former champion of the division. He lost the belt to Du Plessis in their last fight.
Dre Waters spoke to veteran MMA coach and ESPN analyst Din Thomas to get his perspective on the main and co-main events. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the title fights and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
