Betting
UFC 312 Best Bets | DraftKings Sportsbook
Tim Finnegan of DraftKings Breaks Down UFC 312 And Gives Bets To Consider On DraftKings Sportsbook
UFC 312 is taking place on Saturday from Sydney, Australia, and the card is headlined by two title fights. The main event is a rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title. The co-main event is a highly-anticipated women's strawweight title fight between Weili Zhang and Tatiana Suarez. A heavyweight clash between DWCS alum Tallison Teixeira and Justin Tafa is also on the main card.
A DraftKings Sportsbook bettor cashed in during UFC 311, turning approximately $1,300 into over $28,000 with a UFC Parlay Bet featuring the following three picks:
- Jiri Prochazka to win by KO/TKO/DQ
- Merab Dvalishvili to win by Decision
- Islam Makhachev to win by Submission
As a result of all of these outcomes hitting in the Parlay Bet, the UFC bettor took home $28,662.20.
Cold Open | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
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Cold Open | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
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UFC 312 Picks
Tallison Teixeira vs Justin Tafa
Teixeira is coming off an impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2024. In his fight on DWCS, Teixeira displayed a fast striking pace, landing 29 significant strikes in only 117 seconds, good for a lightning-fast striking pace of 15 significant strikes landed per minute. Teixeira also showcased big power, knocking his opponent out in under two minutes.
Teixeira’s background and physical attributes make him one of the more exciting prospects in the heavyweight division. The first thing that jumps out about Teixeira physically is his size. Teixeira is huge at 6’8″ with an 83-inch reach and is one of the tallest and longest fighters on the UFC roster. Teixeira moves well for his size and seems to understand range, which is important for a tall fighter. At distance, Teixeira uses his length well and has good straight punches. Teixeira has showcased a good jab, which is an outstanding weapon for tall fighters, especially in the heavyweight division. A good jab allows a fighter to soften an opponent up from distance with a relatively safe lead. A good jab also sets up power crosses off a 1-2 combo, which Teixeira has displayed in his fights. Teixeira will have a large range advantage against Tafa, who has only a 74-inch reach, compared to 83 inches for Teixeira.
As a black belt in jiu-jitsu, Teixeira also has a quality grappling game. This is notable against Tafa, who does not have a sophisticated grappling background. If the fight hits the ground, Teixeira will know how to use his body to keep Tafa in dominant positions and set himself up well for a finish.
The heavyweight division features volatility because of the mass and force behind the strikes, but Teixeira has more ways to win in this matchup. Teixeira should be able to utilize his superior length to land from distance if the fight stays standing, and Teixeira also has the option to take the fight to the ground and use his superior jiu-jitsu to work Tafa over on the ground.
Pick: Tallison Teixeira Moneyline (-135)
Weili Zhang vs Tatiana Suarez
Suarez has one of the best wrestling backgrounds in the UFC, medaling in freestyle wrestling at the World Championships before starting her MMA career. As an elite wrestler, Suarez has racked up very impressive grappling stats in the UFC. Suarez is averaging over six takedowns per 15 minutes, an elite rate, and has the best takedown rate in the women’s strawweight division, finishing 66% of her takedown attempts. Suarez has also recorded elite control time, controlling opponents for 71% of her octagon time, easily the best rate in the women’s strawweight division.
This fight will likely come down to whether or not Zhang can slow down Suarez’s wrestling. Zhang is very powerful and strong physically, but she has been susceptible to takedowns at times in her career. Zhang has stopped only 50% of opponent takedown attempts, which is not a great rate. In her most recent fight against Yan Xiaonan, Zhang got taken down three times on three attempts, and Yan does not have nearly the same degree of wrestling skill that Suarez has. Zhang’s non-elite takedown defense gives Suarez a good chance to find success with offensive grappling and win this fight.
Pick: Tatiana Suarez Moneyline (-120)
Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2
The first fight between Du Plessis and Strickland was extremely close. Despite losing the decision, Strickland landed more significant strikes in the fight, out-landing Du Plessis 173 to 137, including landing nearly twice the amount of strikes to the head (157 to 81). However, Du Plessis was able to exploit Strickland’s upright posture and take Strickland down six times in the fight, which played a part in helping to sway the judges.
Main Event Preview | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Main Event Preview | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
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This rematch is close enough that taking the +5.5 points on the Sean Strickland Point Spread could be a fruitful strategy. Strickland covered this spread in their first fight despite losing the decision, and Strickland only has to keep this fight close for this bet to have a good chance to cash.
Pick: Sean Strickland +5.5 Point Spread (-135)
Read more about UFC Point Spread betting at DraftKings Network: How to Bet UFC Point Spreads on DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Fantasy UFC
Tatiana Suarez ($8,200) has been a big fantasy scorer in large part due to significant grappling volume. Suarez is averaging over six takedowns per 15 minutes and has controlled opponents for 71% of her octagon time, both elite numbers. As discussed above, Weili Zhang does not have great takedown defense, opening up a pathway for Suarez to potentially record big grappling stats in this fight. This fight is also five rounds, which potentially creates 10 extra minutes to generate fantasy scoring. Suarez has a good chance to return big fantasy value at her $8,200 price tag.
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DraftKings UFC Pick6
UFC Pick6 is a new peer-to-peer fantasy UFC contest where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two fighters and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Listed stat projections include significant strikes, takedowns, control time, knockdowns and more. For each fighter, simply select if you think they’ll have MORE or LESS than their listed stat projection. Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ cash prizes!
Play at DraftKings UFC Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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!