Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland headline UFC 312 from Sydney on Saturday night. The duo will fight in a rematch for the UFC Middleweight title that du Plessis won from Strickland at UFC 297. We tell you who will win their second fight in our latest UFC betting picks.
The UFC is in Sydney, Australia for its latest pay-per-view card. Two old foes, Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland meet in the main event, with the duo rematching the UFC Middleweight title held by du Plessis since his split decision win over the American in Canada in January 2024.
Both men are experienced fighters and are in the primes of their respective careers. There are likely to be no backward steps taken, and with both men liking to take the fight to their opponent, it’s likely to be a do-or-die contest.
Dricus du Plessis won the first fight between the two by split decision. Showing how close the fight was, 13 of the 24 media outlets covering the contest gave it to du Plessis.
Du Plessis is the favorite to win again in the latest UFC Vegas betting odds.
On the money line, du Plessis is -200 to defeat Strickland and defend his title successfully for a second time. The best UFC betting sites have Sean Strickland at +165 to gain revenge and win the title a second time.
On the total lines, the fight is -185 to last over 4.5 rounds and +155 to finish in under 4.5 rounds. More betting options from our recommended betting partners can be found below:
Dricus de Plessis has an overall mixed martial arts record of 22-2. The South African is 8-0 in the UFC.
De Plessis is a strong all-round fighter. The 31-year-old has won 11 of his 22 fights by submission, with nine coming by KO, and only two going to the judges.
In the UFC, four of his wins have come by KO, with two by submission and two by decision. Seven of his eight fights within the promotion have been on pay-per-view cards, with the champion having fought pretty much everybody who is worth fighting in the 185-lbs division.
Both of the South African’s UFC submission wins have come via the face crank hold. The first was against Darren Till at UFC 282. Du Plessis used the hold again to defeat Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, his only defense of the middleweight title so far.
Du Plessis is a busy front-foot fighter, equally capable on the mat and on his feet. He connects with 6.18 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy rate of 49 percent. The South African absorbs 4.85 strikes per minute with a defense of 54 percent.
Du Plessis has a takedown average of 3.04 per 15 minutes with an accuracy rate of 50 percent. His takedown defense rate is also 50 percent and he has a submission average of 0.91.
Sean Strickland has an MMA record of 29-6. His record within the UFC is 16-6.
Strickland doesn’t possess knock-out power. 14 of his 29 fight wins have come by decision, with 11 by KO, and four by submission.
The 33-year-old American is a colorful character who is pure box office. His fighting style is to try and grind down his opponents with his high tempo, constantly moving forward, always looking to impress the judges.
Despite his lack of KO power, Strickland can box well. He is a durable fighter, well able to take a punch, and has a better defense than he maybe gets credit for.
His main weakness is his inability to finish opponents off. 18 of 35 fights have gone the distance, with eight of his last ten going to the scorecards.
Strickland is a good striker, connecting with 6.01 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy rate of 42 percent. He absorbs 4.48 significant strikes per minute with a defense rate of 61 percent.
The American comes up short on the mat. He has a takedown average is 0.78 percent per 15 minutes. Strickland’s takedown accuracy average is 64 percent and his defense is 77 percent. He has a submission average of just .17 per 15 minutes.
Sean Strickland won the UFC Middleweight title with a shock unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. His reign as champion was short-lived, as he lost the title at the first time of asking when du Plessis defeated the American at UFC 297.
Strickland has fought once since. He defeated Paulo Costa by split decision at UFC 302 in June. He has since demanded a rematch with du Plessis. The former champion has got his wish. Sadly for Strickland, we can only see him losing to du Plessis again, maybe even by KO on this occasion.
See below the best online betting sites in USA 2025, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
