UFC 312 (pay-per-view, ESPN2/Disney+, ESPN+) took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live round-by-round coverage and official results. UFC 312 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) went down at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
The main event featured a rematch between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and the man he beat to win the title, Sean Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC). In the co-main event, women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili (26-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) defended her belt against Tatiana Suarez (11-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC).
Below you can checkout the round-by-round coverage and official results for UFC 312.
Enjoy the fights, everyone.
UFC 312 lineup, results
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – to defend middleweight title
- Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) – to defend strawweight title
- Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via TKO (elbow) – Round 1, 0:35
- Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute ends in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
- Jake Matthews def. Fransisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/Disney+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:06
- Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)
- Rong Zhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Round 1 – As expected, Strickland jabbing and slowly moving foward on Du Plessis. Oh! Head kick partially connects for Du Plessis. Leg kick by Du Plessis. Jabs by Strickland. Both guys doing very well defensively. We’re halfway through the round. Jabs connecting for Strickalnd. Du Plessis with a hard leg kick. Not much going on in terms of strikes landed. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Du Plessis.
Round 2 – A couple of hard leg kicks connect for Du Plessis. Strickland strongs together a few connecting punches. That was probably his best monet so far. Nice counter by Strickland. Du Plessis is landing some hard jabs. Strickalnd is bleeding from his mouth. Both guys landing harder shots here. Du Plessis really upping his attack, landing more often than Strickland. Several leg kicks keep landing for Du Plessis. Oh! Another head kick partly lands for Du Plessis. Strickland eats an over hand right. The round ends.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Du Plessis.
Round 3 – Strickland is backing up Du Plessis, but he’s not throwing or landing much. Big right hand by Du Plessis! Du Plessis’ striking far more explosive. Du Plessis is just firing off on a very passive Strickland. A couple of right hands land for Du Plessis. Oh, spinning back fist by Du Plessis! Two minutes left. Jab by Strickland. Another one. Oh! Spining elbow lands for Du Plessis! Oh! Nice counter right by Strickland! Du Plessis shoots, gets the takedow, but Strickalnd gets right back up. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Du Plessis.
Round 4 – Du Plessis is pressing the action here, contrary to previous orunds. Bog right hand by Du Plessis! Du Plessis is looking sharp tonight. Oh! Big shot by Du Plessis and Strickland grabs his nose. He’s bleeding a lot. Strickland on the run! Du Plessis goingin for the kill here. Big shot again by Du Plessis and now leg kick. We’re halfway through the round. Nice connection by Strickland, but Du Plessis responds with a harder shot. Oh! Bg right lands for Du Plessis. Strickland lacks urgency. One, two by Du Plessis. Strickland keeps eating big shots. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Du Plessis.
Round 5 – Strickland needs a finish here, it’s pretty clear he’s down. Leg kicks by Du Plessis. Du Plessis keeps snapping Strickland’s head back. Strickland not doing much. Jab by Strickland. Body kick by Du Plessis. Du Plessis in full control here, seems very comfortable. Nice combo by Du Plessis. Du Plessis is battering Strickland. Clean jab by Strickland. The crowd is booing, they want more action. Leg kicks and right hands have been there all night for Du Plessis. Final minute. Strickland upping the pressure a little here, but just too late. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Du Plessis. Overall 50-45, Du Plessis.
Result: ricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – to defend middleweight title
Recap: Dricus Du Plessis rearranges Sean Strickland’s face in bloody title defense
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Marc Goddard
Judging: Ben Cartlidge 49-46. Sal D’Amato, Clemens Werner 50-45.
Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez
Round 1 – Weili takes the center of the cage. Suarez gets a body lock and gets Weili to the ground with ease. Suarez working from half guard. Mainly just control here from Suarez, not much damage being done. We’re hafway through the round. Suarez is starting to open up a little with ground-and-pound. Suarez moves to side control. Weili scrambles out, Suarez gets a guillotine and drops to her back! Weili gets out fairly quickly! Now Weili working from top with a little less than a minute. Not much damage being done. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Suarez.
Round 2 – Leg kick by Weili. Weili takes the center of the octagon. Suarez closes the distance and presses Weili against the cage. Suarez gets the takedown, but Weili scrambles and ends on top! Weili landing some shots! Suarez gets back to her feet! She’s now pressing Weili against the cage once again. We’re halfway through the round. Weili breaks free. Big one, two for Weili! Suarez shoots and presses Weili against the cage. Weili gets a trip and gets top control of Suarez! Ground and pound by Weili. She maintains top control until the bell.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Weili.
Round 3 – Weili looking a lot faster than Suarez in this round. Big one, two by Weili. And again! Oh! Huge shot by Weili! Suarez is rocked! Suarez shoots and fails to get the takedown. Suarez looks very tired. She presses Weili against the cage. Three minutes left. Weili breaks free. Suarez with a faled takedown. Right hand connects for Weili. Weili looking sharp! Suarez eats a big combo after falling short of a takedown. Suarez with another failed takedown attempt and gets punished in the process. Suarez presses Weili against the cage. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Weili.
Round 4 – Big exchange between the two. Suarez initiates the takedown and gets taken down by Weili. Incredible. Suarez is able to recover guard. Weili with some shots here and there to the body. Weili sinks in an arm triangle! Suarez escapes, but still on bottom. We’re halfway through the round. Suarez is getting dominated here. There’s little damage from Weili, but she’s in full controll and stopping any sweep attempt from Suarez. Weili rides out the rest of the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Weili.
Round 5 – Bog leg kick by Weili. Suarez shoots, they clinch, and she eats several elbows from Weili. Suarez doing everything she can to get the fight to the griund, but Weili’s defense has been on point. Suarez presses Weili against the cage. Knee from Weili. Three minutes left. They scramble and Weili ends on top. Good shots from top by Weili. Suarez’s face is battered. Complete domination by Weili. She rides out the rest of the fight.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Weili. Overall 49-46, Weili.
Result: Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) – to defend strawweight title
Recap: Zhang Weili shuts down Tatiana Suarez to retain title
Photos: Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312: Best photos
Records: Weili (26-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), Suarez (11-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judging: Mike Bell, David Lethaby 49-46, Mark Collett 49-45.
Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
Round 1 – Big kick to the body by Teixeira! He presses Tafa against the cage. Oh! Nasty elbow to the nose! Tafa goes down and it’s over! What a debut by Teixeira!
Result: Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via TKO (elbow) – Round 1, 0:35
Recap: Tallison Teixeira blitzes Justin Tafa to score 35-second debut TKO
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Tafa (7-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Ricj Mitchell
Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute
Round 1 – Leg kick by Crute. Big miss by Crute, Bellato tries to use that to take him down, but instead throws Crute on top of himself. Crute now working form half guard. Bellato recovers guard. Crute with some solid griund and pound. We’re halfway through the round. Oh! Nice elbows by Crute! Bellato unable to get up. Crute advances to half guard. Big shots from Crute! Bellato gets back up! Oh! And Crute drops Bellato! He’s on top landing shots. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-8, Crute.
Round 2 – Crute with all the confidence in the world here. Slick combo by Crute! Bellato doesn’t look like he’s fully recovered. Big uppercuts by Crute! Bellato with some hard calf kicks. Bellato lands a nice left hook. Crute shoots for a takedown and comes up short. Crute looks to be slowing down. Jabs by Crute. Right hand lands for Crute, but Bellato answers back with a one, two. Nasty one, two by Crute! Insane chin on Bellato. Final minute. Cryte keep cracking Bellato, but he’s still standing! Crute looks tired. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Crute.
Round 3 -Leg kick by Bellato to get things started here in the final round. Another one. Nasty leg kicks by Bellato. Crute tries to get down Bellato and unable to. He looks spent. Big calf kick by Bellato. More leg kicks by Bellato. Big right hand lands Crute. We’re halfway through the round. Bellato shoots and gets it! He’s controlling Crute from the turtle position. Man, Bellato keeps punishing that leg of Crute. He’s in pain. Final minute here. Both guys look very tired. These two are just trading shots! The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Bellato. Overall 29-27 Crute.
Result: Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute ends in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Bellato (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Crute (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Marc Goddard
Judging: Mike Bell, David Lethaby 28-28. Mark Collett 29-27.
Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
Round 1 – These two are swining heavy early on! Big left hook lands for Matthews. Matthews with a straight right hand. Body kick and then a leg kick by Prado.Big combo by Matthews! Body kick by Matthews. And Prado with a leg kick. Another one. Two minutes left. Oh! Matthews with a nasty left hook. Matthews clearly landing the better shots here. Prado closes the distance and gets the takedown! One minute left. Matthews gets up. Oh! Bog shots for both in a wild exchange. Prado is cut on his forehead. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Matthews.
Round 2 – Matthews is moving foward here. There seems to be a big power difference between the two. Nice combo by Matthews. Prado’s face is showing damage. Oh! Couple of big knees land for Prado in the clinch. Good uppercut by Prado. Prado shoots and presses Matthews against the cage. They trade knees to the legs and body. They break away with a minute remaining. Good combo by Matthews. Prado is bleeding a lot from his cut. They replay shows the cut came from an accidental head clash. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Matthews.
Round 3 – Matthews looking to land big bombs here. He’s pressing foward and looking for a finish. Leg kick by Prado. Matthews closes the distance, looks to takedown Prado, but comes up short. Body kick then leg kick by Prado. Oh! Matthews buckles Prado with a left hook. Prado seems to have recovered. He presses Matthews against the cage. They break away. What a chin on Prado, he’s taken so many big shots from Matthews. Matthews now closes the distance and presses Prado against the cage. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Matthews. Overall 30-27, Matthews.
Result: Jake Matthews def. Fransisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Matthews (21-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC), Prado (12-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judging: Sal D’Amato, Charlie Keech, Clemens Werner 30-27.
Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos
Round 1 – Both guys land leg kicks early on. Oh! Jenkins with a big body kick. More leg kicks from Santos. Oh! Jenkins drops Santos with a head kick! Jenkins jumps on him and begins raining ground-and-pound! Santos now sinks in a triangle choke! It looks very tight. So far, even though locked in, Jenkins is surviving. And he’s out! Two minutes left. Santos works his way back to his feet, but being pressed against the cage. He finds a break and gets the fight down to the ground. Solid elbows from Santos. Thirty seconds left. Santos controlling well. Nice short shots by Santos. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Jenkins.
Round 2 – Santos comes out agressive. Several kicks to the body by Santos. One, two by Santos. Jenkins connects with a shot of his own. He now begins to press foward. Jenkins shoots on Santos and comes up short. They clinch and Santos gets the takedown. Three minutes left. Very solid control here by Santos, but not a ton of damage being done. Jenkins unable to get up. Some shots here and there by Santos. Santos controlls Jenkins until the bell.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Santos.
Round 3 – It looks like it’s tied up. Oh! Santos with a front kick to the chin! Jenkins is hurt. Santos shoots and gets Jenkins against the fence. He jumps on his back and sinks in the hooks. He’s trying to get a rear-naked choke. Jenkins so far defending well. Santos locks in the body triangle. He sinks in the rear-naked choke! It’s over! Santos wins.
Result: Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:06
Recap: Gabriel Santos silences Australian crowd with slick Jack Jenkins submission
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Santos (12-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Jenkins (13-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN2/Disney+
Referee: Rich Mitchell
Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Tom Nolan
Round 1 – Big leg kick by Nolan. Nolan shoots for a takedown and Borshchev stuffs it. They’re back to striking. Nolan clinches Borshchev and briefly gets him down. Borshchev gets back up and is now beign controlled against the cage.Nolan jumps on Borshchev’s back. Borshchev tries toget him off, but ends on bottom. Nolan with an anaconda attempt! Borshchev gets out! Nasty elbow to the head by Nolan. Borshchev scrambles back to his feet. Hard leg kick by Borshchev. One minute left. Solid kicks to the body and legs by Nolan. Nolan shoots and Borshchev stuffs the takedown. Push kick by Borshchev. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Nolan.
Round 2 – Oblique kicks by Borshchev. Nolan with a body kick. Staright right hand and then a leg kick by Borshchev. Solid kicks to the body by Nolan.Jab by Borshchev. Oh! Borshchev with a big right hand. Big leg kick by Nolan.Quick combo connets for Nolan. And Borshchev with an uppercut. Nolan shoots and takes down Borshchev by the cage! Nolan attemos another D’Arce choke, but Borshchev gets out! Borshchev find his way back to his feet and back to striking. Nice elbow by Nolan. Borshchev looking for something big here. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Nolan.
Round 3 – Oh! Nolan with some nasty body kicks! Nolan shoots, fails and goes to his back. Oh! Nice uppkick by Nolan. Another one! The referee stands them up.Nolan shoots again and comes up short. Clean combo by Nolan! Again, Nolan shoots, comes up short and rolls to his back. Borshchev dives into Nolan’s guard. Borshchev with some shots from top, but Nolan is macthing him from the bottom. The top of the head of Borshchev is all lumped up and bloody from shots and elbows. Borshchev goes for a leg lock in the final seconds, but too late, the bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Nolan. MMA Junkie scores the fight 30-27, Nolan.
Result: Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Nolan (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Borshchev (8-5-1 MMA, 3-4-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN2/Disney+
Referee: Marc Goddard
Judging: Ben Cartlidge, Charlie keech 29-28. David Lethaby 30-27.
Bruna Brasil vs. Wang Cong
Round 1 – Leg kick by Brasil. She takes the center of the cage, while Cong hovers on the outiside. Cong with a hard leg kicks. Jab and then leg kick by Cong. Nice right hand connects for Cong. Big, big leg kicks by Brasil. Cong with some of her own, too. They two keep trading leg kicks. Not a ton of action going on. Final minute. Cong’s lead leg is a mess. Cong with a hard leg kick. Brasil goes for a spinning attack, fails, Cong trips her and lands a few shots before the bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Cong.
Round 2 – Cong comes out a little more agressive here. Cong lands a nice right hand, as Brasil comes in to kick. Another left lands for Cong. Very, very low output fight. Leg kick by Cong. Brasil lands a right hand. Cong is the one pressing the action here. Big leg kicks by Cong. Brasil too gun shy here. She’s not really throwing anything.Cong upping the pressure and volume. Kick to the body then a one, two by Cong. Clean left hand connects for Cong. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Cong.
Round 3 – It seems Brasil is in need of a finish here. Cong looks like she’s growing in confidence and the opposite is happening with Brasil. Nice left by Cong. Jabs and then leg kick by Cong. Nice combo lands for Cong. Brasil is barely firing. Three minutes left. Kick to the body by Cong.Leg kick by Cong. The crowd boos. Final minute. Brasil tries a takedown and comes up short. Spinning wheel kick almost lands by Brasil. Wong with a takedown right before the bell.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Cong. Overall 30-27, Cong.
Result: Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Cong (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Brasil (10-5-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN2/Disney+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judging: Mark Collett, Sal D’Amato, Clemens Werner 30-27.
Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria
Round 1 – Topuria immediately pressing the action here. Thicknesse looking to stay on the outside. Nice body shot by Topuria. Another one. Jab by Topuria. He’s staying patient and picking his shots. Three minutes left. Head kick partially connects for Thicknesse. Topuria closes the distance and presses Thicknesse against the cage. They break free. Oh! Big right-hand wobbles Thicknesse bad! Topuria chasing the finish here. Thicknesse looks to have recovered. Leg kick by Thicknesse. Final 30 seconds. Nice combo by Topuria. He presses Thicknesse against the cage and slams him on his head! The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Topuria.
Round 2 – Jabs by Thicknesse. A low blow from Thicknesse briefly halts the fight, but then resumes. Strong jab by Topuria. Leg kick by Topuria. Leg kick by Thicknesse. Big leg kick by Topuria. Topuria with fairly low output, but he’s connecting everything he lands. Big leg kick and then a counter right by Topuria. Two minutes left. Thicknesse lands a right hand. Oh! Nasty body shot by Topuria. Another right hands lands clean for Topuria. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Topuria.
Round 3 – Thicknesse shoots for an early takedown here. Topuria stuffs it and spins around to get his back. Thicknesse is on his knees, trying to get up. Thicknesse gets back up, but being pressed against the cage. Thicknesse escaped and they’re back to striking. Topuria stuffs another takedown from Thicknesse. He spins around and gets the back again. They scramble and Topuria ends on top. Thicknesse looking to set up submissions from his back, but so far unsuccessful. One minute left. Topuria is finally opening up with shots from top, not just control. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Topuria. Overall 30-27, Topuria.
Result: Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Recap:
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Topuria (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Thicknesse (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN2/Disney+
Referee: Jim Perdios
Judging: Mike Bell, Ben Cartlidge, Charlie Keech 30-27.
Kody Steele vs. Rong Zhu
Round 1 – Zhu takes the center of the octagon. A lot of feints from both so far, little strikes landed. They both trade hard leg kicks. Big leg kick by Zhu. Steele shoots for a takedown and gets the fight to the ground. Zhu scrambles and ends on top. He gets up, as he wants to keep the fight striking. Nice, quick combos landed by Zhu. Oh! Big left by Zhu. Right hand lands for Steele. Oh! Nasty shot by Steele rocks Zhu! Oh! Now Zhu rocks Steele! Zhu all over Steele! Both these guys throwing bombs! Heavy combo by Steele. Oh! Steele eats some huge shots! The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Zhu.
Round 2 – Zhu looking good so far. Oh! Steele gets rocked and he goes down! Zhu follows, but now he gets caught in a leg lock. Zhu seems safe. He breaks free! Back to striking. Solid combos by Zhu. A big left hook snaps Steele’s head back. Steele a little hesitant here after taking some big shots. We’re halfway through the round. Zhu’s face is showing some bruising. Jabs by Zhu connect clean. Oh! Another nasty combo by Zhu. Steele with a chin of steel. Despite absorbing a lot of shots, Steele’s face is not showing a ton of damage. Solid jabs by Zhu. Now a left hook! More jabs by Zhu. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Zhu.
Round 3 – Steele, likely down on the cards, is coming out a lot more aggressive. Man, Zhu is in full rythm here. More jabs by Zhu. Bog left hok connects for Zhu. Good body shots by Steele! The pace has slowed here. Jab by Zhu. We’re halfway through the round. Nasty jabs by Zhu, he’s looking sharp tonight. Steele keeps getting his head snapped back by Zhu’s constant jabs. Steele just doesn’t have an answer to Zhu’s attacks. More and more jabs by Zhu. Leg kick by Zhu. Zhu is styling on him now. Final minute. Steele is bleeding from his mouth, he’s wearing the damage now. Wow! They brawl it out at the end Holloway style! Great fight.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Zhu. Overall 30-27, Zhu.
Result: Rong Zhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Zhu (26-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Steele (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Steve Perceval
Judging: Sal D’Amato, Evan Field, Clemens Werner 30-27.
Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef
Round 1 – Nice left by Jousset. Micallef with some big kicks on the guard of Micallef. Micallef answers with some body kicks of his own. Jousset pressing the action here, walking down Micallef. We’re halfway through the round. Nice one, two by Micallef and then he engages in the thai clinch. Micallef eats a few uppercuts. They break free. Oh! Big head kick by Micallef rocks Jousset. Jousset gets back up. One minute left. Micallef is getting in his rhythm now, and he’s landing a lot more. Jousset’s legs and arms look battered and bruise from the kicks. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Micallef.
Round 2 – Jousset coming out here a bit more aggressive. He’s pressing the action here, but Micallef is clearly landing the better and cleaner shots. Nice left by Micallef! Micallef is on his back foot, countering Jousset. Jousset with some leg kicks. Man, Micallef is getting in a flow state here, picking apart Jousset. Micallef is now moving forward and pressing the action. Oh! Nice left by Micallef. His lefts keep connecting. And a head kick sneaks in for Micallef! Jousset is showing a ton of toughness, but he seems clearly outmatched in the striking. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Micallef.
Round 3 – Micallef seems a lot more confident with two rounds likely in the bag. He’s pressing the action here. Too soon, back on the back foot and countering. Big, nasty body kick by Micallef. Jousset is chasing here, but he keeps getting tagged. He’s not doing anything meaningful to change the fight. Oh! A solid right hand connects for Jousset, but Micallef eats it well. Three minutes left. Jousset needs a finish here. Solid jabs by Micallef, and Jousset responds with a nice body kick. One, two by Jousset. Jousset doing a better job at cutting the cage here than in previous rounds. Head kick partially lands for Micallef. Jousset chases here in the final seconds. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Jousset. Overall 29-28, Micallef.
Result: Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Micallef (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Jousset (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Rich Mitchell
Judging: Mark Collett, Charlie Keech, David Lethaby 29-28.
Anshul Jubli vs. Quillan Salkilld
Round 1 – Oh! Huge right-hand drops Jubli! It’s over! What a way to start the night.
Result: Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
Recap: Quillan Salkilld sparks Anshul Jubli with one-punch KO in 19 seconds
Photos: UFC 312: Best photos from Sydney
Records: Salkilld (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Jubli (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Lghtweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jim Perdios
UFC 312 odds: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Oddsmakers have set Du Plessis as a moderate favorite to win the rematch against Strickland. Here’s a look at three of the biggest online sportsbooks.
- BetMGM: Du Plessis -220, Strickland +180
- FanDuel: Du Plessis -215, Strickland +180
- DraftKings: Du Plessis -218, Strickland +180
UFC 312 odds: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez
Oddsmakers are slightly favorite Suarez to dethrone Weili as strawweight champion. Here’s a look at three of the biggest online sportsbooks.
- BetMGM: Suarez -165, Weili +135
- FanDuel: Suarez -146, Weili +124
- DraftKings: Suarez -155, Weili +130
UFC 312 predictions: Complete main card
Check out the MMA Junkie predictions for the UFC 312 main card with one staff member believing neither championship will change hands.
UFC 312 expert pick: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Check out MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom’s complete breakdown of the main event.
UFC 312 expert pick: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez
Check out MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom’s complete breakdown of the co-main event.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
