Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) dethroned Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) by split decision to claim the middleweight title at UFC 297 last January – a result Strickland has protested ever since. Since then, Du Plessis retained his title with a fourth-round submission of former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August.

UFC 312 will be headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland even though the reigning champion had a different challenger in mind.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will rematch Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in the UFC 312 main event Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who ran through Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October, is expected to face the winner.

Despite previous travel concerns, Strickland will make the trip to Australia to meet again with du Plessis, who snagged the UFC middleweight title from him in their first matchup. Between their two scheduled bouts, du Plessis defended the belt by submitting Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 to rein in a new era in the division.

A pair of title bouts will top the marquee, including a middleweight championship rematch, as UFC 312 sets to invade Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 9.  Dricus du Plessis (22-2) will look to make the second defense of his 185-pound title in the main event when he meets Sean Strickland (29-6),

We look at the opening betting odds for the main event of the UFC 312 pay-per-view fight card: Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title.

If it was up to Dricus Du Plessis, he’d be defending his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 312.

Robert Whittaker has recently shared his prediction for the upcoming middleweight title rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland.