-
Andreas Hale, ESPN
A pair of title fights headline the UFC’s return to Sydney, Australia on Feb. 8.
Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight championship in a rematch with Sean Strickland while Zhang Weili puts her strawweight title on the line against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312.
The fights were announced during the UFC 310 broadcast.
Du Plessis (22-2) is coming off his first successful defense of the 185-pound title when he submitted Israel Adesanya in the fourth round at UFC 305 in August.
Fighting out of South Africa, Du Plessis aims to extend his winning streak to eleven against a familiar opponent. Du Plessis defeated Strickland for the middleweight title by a controversial split decision at the top of the year.
Strickland (29-6) fought his way back into title contention with a unanimous decision win over former title contender Paulo Costa in June.
Zhang (25-3) will look to defend her strawweight title for the third time against what many believe will be her toughest test to date. Zhang last fought in April and cruised to a unanimous decision win over Yan Xiaonan. Suarez (10-0) last fought in August 2023 when she submitted former champion Jessica Andrade in the second round.
Fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, California, Suarez has had difficulty staying active due to injuries and battling thyroid cancer.