Israel Adesanya is rolling with a familiar foe later this evening (Sat., Feb. 8, 2025) at UFC 312 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, as Dricus du Plessis puts his UFC middleweight title on the line for the second-straight time against former division champion Sean Strickland.
These two middleweights first met back at UFC 297 in Jan. 2024. It was a very competitive back-and-forth fight that some people thought Strickland won, but it was DDP who walked away with the split-decision victory and the 185-pound championship belt. Strickland has been holding out hope for another chance to test his skills against du Plessis and he’ll get that opportunity tonight in Sydney.
While du Plessis is a sizeable betting favorite to walk out of UFC 312 victorious and keep his middleweight strap, some believe that Strickland will make the proper adjustments to exact revenge. It could be a true toss-up main event that produces another five-round war of attrition. The official betting odds can be seen HERE.
One of the best people to ask to help predict du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 is none other than Adesanya, who is widely regarded as one of the best middleweights ever. The former UFC champion has experience competing against both fighters, losing a decision to Strickland at UFC 293 in Sept. 2023 and then getting submitted by DDP at UFC 304 in August 2024.
The former middleweight king offered up his official prediction for UFC 312’s main event earlier this week. Check it out below:
“To be honest it’s going to be Dricus doing what he does,” said Adesanya (shown above). “Strickland might wrestle better, but he’s not going to initiate it. If he [Strickland] can have his defense on point he might be able to beat Dricus. I just think Dricus is too tough right now.
“I think Dricus is going to win, but he’s going to do it the way he does it, which is just be stubborn and take him down and try to beat Strickland up. I’m going to go Dricus.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 312 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 312: “Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 312 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
