UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis told ESPN that he would have preferred a fight against Khamzat Chimaev over his UFC 312 rematch with Sean Strickland in Sydney on February 9.

Light heavyweight champion Pereira will be in Strickland’s (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) corner when he challenges middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Feb. 8 main event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney ( ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

The UFC heads to the land down under when it hosts UFC 312 from Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on Feb. 8.  Headlining the

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker offered his pick and predictions for the UFC 312 main event: Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2.

Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in a rematch, which headlines the Feb. 8 event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Israel Adesanya sees Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 312 playing out similarly to their first fight. Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title in a rematch against Strickland (29-6 MMA,

Whittaker was the second former champion that Chimaev has bested after he also took a majority decision over Kamaru Usman in a short-notice matchup at UFC 294, and in total the 30-year-old has added eight UFC victories to his undefeated record since making his promotional debut in 2020.