Du Plessis-Strickland 2, Zhang-Suarez set for UFC 312

Dricus Du Plessis will defend the UFC middleweight title in a rematch with former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 8 in Sydney, Australia, the promotion announced Saturday.

Strawweight champ Zhang Weili will face Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event.

Du Plessis beat Strickland by split decision at UFC 297 in January to claim the 185-pound title. He's coming off a fourth-round submission win over ex-champ Israel Adesanya in his first title defense at UFC 305 in August. The 30-year-old South African is undefeated in the Octagon and riding a 10-fight winning streak overall.

Strickland rebounded from the loss to Du Plessis with a split-decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June. The 33-year-old is 4-1 in his last five appearances.

Zhang is making the third defense of her second reign as 115-pound champion. The 35-year-old Chinese fighter regained the belt with a submission of Carla Esparza two years ago and went on to defeat Amanda Lemos and Yan Xiaonan in August 2023 and April 2024, respectively.

Suarez will finally get a crack at UFC gold after starting her run in the promotion with seven straight wins. She's ranked No. 1 in the division and is undefeated as a pro at 10-0.