An entertaining slate of action at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia culminated in a pair of UFC champions retaining their titles to close out UFC 312.
The main card opened with veteran Jake Matthews out-hustling Francisco Prado before light heavyweights Jimmy Crute and Rodolfo Bellato battled to a competitive, entertaining majority draw. Newcomer Tallison Teixeira cranked up the excitement, much to the chagrin of the partisan crowd, making quick work of Justin “Bad Man” Tafa before business shifted to the twin championship affairs atop the card.
In the co-main event, strawweight champion Zhang Weili turned in a masterful effort, weathering the early grappling attack of unbeaten challenger Tatiana Suarez to seize control of the fight in the late stages of the first and run away with the contest over the remaining four rounds. And in the finale, Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time, out-working former champ and rival Sean Strickland from the outset, earning a clean sweep of the scorecards to put their series to bed.
It was “And Still” twice after a couple entertaining efforts earlier on the main card, and we have the details of how things played out collected for your review below.
Prelim Results | Official Scorecards | Order PPV
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 Results
- Dricus Du Plessis defeats Sean Strickland by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
- Zhang Weili defeats Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
- Tallison Teixeira defeats Justin Tafa by TKO (strikes) at 0:35 of Round 1
- Jimmy Crute and Rodolfo Bellato fight to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
- Jake Matthews defeats Francisco Prado by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Gabriel Santos defeats Jack Jenkins by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:06 of Round 3
- Tom Nolan defeats Viacheslav Borshchev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Wang Cong defeats Bruna Brasil by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Aleksandre Topuria defeats Colby Thicknesse by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rongzhu defeats Kody Steele by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jonathan Micallef defeats Kevin Jousset by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Quillan Salkilld defeats Anshul Jubli by KO (right hand) at 0:19 of Round 1
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 Main Card Results
Jake Matthews defeats Francisco Prado by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Aussie veteran Jake Matthews kicked off the main card with a measured, professional effort against Argentina’s Francisco Prado, ensuring the host nation would have a successful night overall.

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The 30-year-old Matthews, who debuted in the UFC as a 19-year-old, was too quick and too polished for the young Prado, who was competing at welterweight for the first time. He landed well in flurries and scored with the heavier blows throughout the contest, leaning on his experience and significant size advantage to get the better of things throughout the three-round affair.
In collecting the unanimous decision win, Matthews picked up his second straight victory, the first time since 2020 that he’s earned the same result in back-to-back contests. This was the kind of effort that should solidify Matthews’ standing in the welterweight ranks, and could earn him a step up in competition next time out.
Jimmy Crute and Rodolfo Bellato fight to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Jimmy Crute and Rodolfo Bellato spent 15 minutes smashing each other with heavy shots, resulting in the light heavyweights fighting to a majority draw.

Crute took advantage of a mistake by Bellato in the first, landing in top position and smashing the Brazilian before dropping him late in the frame and nearly securing the finish. The second and third were violent rounds where both men landed big shots — Bellato punishing Crute’s lead leg, “The Brute” slinging hammers — but neither was able to truly distance themselves from the other.
When the scorecards were tallied, the final verdict was a majority draw, with Crute getting the nod from one official, while the other two scored the bout even. This was an entertaining back-and-forth between a pair of hard men who should continue to engage in these types of contests going forward.
Tallison Teixeira defeats Justin Tafa by TKO (strikes) at 0:35 of Round 1
Welcome to the UFC, Tallison Teixeira!

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The towering heavyweight wasted little time closing the distance and mashing an elbow into the face of Justin Tafa, sending the Australian “Bad Man” to the canvas, with the follow-up blows bringing about the stoppage.
Just a blistering effort from the six-foot-seven Brazilian and recent DWCS graduate, who moved to 8-0 with all eight of his victories coming in the opening round. He’s still green, but Teixeira is an interesting addition to the heavyweight ranks and someone to pay close attention to going forward.
Co-Main Event: Zhang Weili defeats Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
Zhang Weili remains the UFC strawweight champion, turning in a dominant, savvy effort to hand Tatiana Suarez the first loss of her career.

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Suarez put Zhang on her back in the early moments of the fight, keeping her there for much of the first round, but the champion finished the frame in top position, landing blows, and controlled the remainder of the fight from there. Not only did she out-strike Suarez whenever they were on the feet, but Zhang also stuffed myriad takedowns and put the challenger on the canvas as well, showing her elite pedigree while posting heaps of control time and dropping damage.
This was a statement performance from the two-time champion, who has now successfully defended her title three times during her second reign. Zhang has ostensibly cleaned out the division while continuing to make her case for a place in the pantheon of all-time greats in women’s MMA history.
Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis defeats Sean Strickland by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
Dricus Du Plessis retained the middleweight title and put his rivalry with Sean Strickland to rest, out-working the American early before shattering his nose and pulling away down the stretch.

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The first three rounds were competitive, but largely favored the champion, as Du Plessis frequently landed the heavier blows as the two men battled exclusively on the feet. In the fourth, a clean right hand exploded Strickland’s nose, leaving his face smeared in blood heading back to the corner, before the South African continued to pick away at the challenger over the final five minutes to further salt things away.
When the scores were read, they all favored Du Plessis, with “Stillknocks” earning his ninth UFC win in as many starts and 11th consecutive win overall, moving to 23-2 for his career with the victory. With things between these two settled, it will be interesting to see what comes next for the surging champion, as both Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov loom.
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on February 8, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!