UFC 312 Wrap: Undefeated phenom calls out champ after bloodbath; Aussie’s historic KO
Dricus du Plessis is ready to go have a crack at Bob Hawke’s skolling record – and UFC superstar Alex Pereira, apparently — after beating up, and bloodying, American Sean Strickland in a comprehensive decision win at UFC 312 in Sydney.
UFC 312: Du Plessis v Strickland 2 | SUN 9 FEB | UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis is headed back Down Under for yet another title defence, with the South African set to face Sean Strickland in a blockbuster UFC 312 headliner in Sydney. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.
Only six months after defeating Israel Adesanya in Perth, the UFC middleweight champ has doubled down before a Qudos Bank Arena crowd including Premier Chris Minns, Aussie cricket legend Steve Waugh, NRL boss Peter V’landys and Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary.
Dominating throughout, and breaking his rival’s nose in the fourth, South Africa’s fighting star eventually took the title on all three judges’ scorecards, 50-45, 50-45, 49-46.
As for who is next for du Plessis, who just seems unstoppable at this point, well undefeated phenom Khamzat Chimaev made his feelings on the fight clear.
Speaking afterwards, the champ thanked Sydney, praised Strickland’s toughness and then looked across the Octagon and called out UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, who was cornering for his rival.
“Is there nobody else,” du Plessis shouted at the man who apparently joined Team Strickland because of bad blood with him. “Is there nobody else?”
Apart from being the world’s greatest MMA middleweight, DDP is also something of drinking savage and told Fox Sports Australia during the build up about being keen for a crack our late, great Prime Minister’s yard drinking record.
Now he has that chance.
Immediately afterwards, the champ was full of praise for Strickland, saying: “I told you guys, I was coming to knock him out but to knock him out is next to impossible.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get him out of here
“But I gave it my all.
“Thank you Sydney, you are incredible.”
And Strickland, the man who brought headlines all week?
“I f***ing love you guys man,” he shouted, before explaining how he had popped his broken nose back into place during the fight.
“The Dutchman is a bad mother***er
“Kicked my ass fair and square.
“But I f***ing love you guys.
“I would break my nose for you any day of the week.”
‘I’m carrying on… make no mistake!’ | 02:29
And as for the fight?
While it was Strickland who earned the biggest pop on entry, round one belonged to the champ, who landed heavy with a couple of kicks, including to the head of his rival.
Then after not doing enough to win the first, Strickland was bleeding from his mouth in the second but landed some strong shots against the champ — who still outworked him through three minutes and, seconds before the third, stood urging the crowd to cheer.
They did.
With DDP responding in kind, again making that round his own with several big moments including a spinning backfist, spinning elbow and then, with only seconds remaining, a takedown.
Then it was the fourth where the champ poured it on a rival fighting predictably, appearing to bust Strickland’s nose early, and then following with plenty more, leaving the challenger bloodied by the bell.
It was a similar story in the fifth, with two judges giving the champ all five rounds.
Weili schools Suarez in 5-round clinic! | 04:45
ZHANG WEILI SENDS WORLD TITLE STATEMENT
China’s Zhang Weili has used up 25 minutes in Sydney to confirm herself as the greatest female fighter on the planet.
Despite coming into her UFC 312 championship bout against American Tatiana Suarez as an underdog, Zhang has punched, grappled and competed through an incredibly dominant five-round performance to remain the company’s undisputed strawweight queen.
Growing more dominant as the fight went inside Qudos Bank Arena, the champ starred in the stand up, stuffed takedowns, rocked Suarez in the third, threw a host of big rights and eventually took the cards 49-46, 49-46, 49-45.
Incredibly, Zhang dropped the first round but quickly found her groove, and then proved punishing on the feet, ground, wherever, didn’t matter.
Suarez, meanwhile, was badly busted by the finish, with her injuries including a nasty knee cut which appeared to be caused by an awkward collision with the cage.
It was a tough loss for the gutsy challenger, who had waited years for this opportunity after having not only beat cancer, but pushed through an Octagon absence of four years due to neck and then knee injuries.
In the end however, the champ was simply too strong everywhere
JUSTIN TAFA ON WRONG END OF 35-SECOND KNOCKOUT
Justin Tafa has been stopped in just 35 seconds after suffering a brutal elbow from Brazilian heavyweight Tallison Teixeira, whose UFC debut now continues a stunning run of first round KOS.
Coming into UFC 312 on an undefeated run of seven straight wins – which included six KOS in the first – Teixeira can now add the scalp of popular Brisbane slugger Tafa to his list of scalps.
After getting the Aussie up against the cage, Teixeira landed an elbow that dropped his rival, with the finish then coming moments later on the ground.
“Amazing country, amazing crowd,” he said afterwards.
“I’ve been working hard, trying to find a loophole (in Tafa), a way in.
“Fortunately for me it was my day.”
Home town hero DESTROYED IN 35 seconds | 00:54
BIG FIRST ROUND EARNS AUSSIE A DRAW
Australia’s Jimmy Crute has earned a draw at UFC 312 after dropping Brazilian rival Rodolfo Bellato in the opening round – and almost finishing him before the bell sounded.
Despite not getting himself a ‘w’, there is no doubting Australia’s popular light heavyweight is back some 18 months after almost leaving his gloves on an Octagon mat in Las Vegas to announce his retirement.
Despite appearing to suffer damage to his lead left leg, Crute looked strong against Bellato, who recovered over the back half of the fight to eventually earn a draw – with the judges scorecards reading 29-27 28-28, 28-28.
In the first round, Crute was tossed heavily by Bellato early, and almost onto head, but not only recovered, or then tried immediately submission but dominated his rival for several minutes.
Then when Balloto found his feet late, ‘The Brute’ landed a brutal right hook that, after a moment, then caused his opponent’s legs to go from underneath him.
Crute then almost finished before the bell sounded.
ANOTHER AUSSIE WINS TO OPEN PPV CARD
Australian UFC favourite Jake Matthews has declared himself ready to make a run into the welterweight rankings – calling out American Neil Magny after a strong decision win at UFC 312.
Entering Qudos Bank Arena to raucous cheers, Matthews produced an impressive striking display through three rounds to eventually claim a lopsided decision against gutsy Argentinian Francisco Prado.
Exploding immediately into an entertaining exchange from the opening bell, the Melburnian would increasingly bang up his rival to leave him bleeding, first, from the nose and then forehead.
Afterwards, Matthews stressed that, despite going 30-27 on all scorecards, he still wanted more from the bout, saying: “I want to go for the kill … I want to start getting finishes”.
With the ‘Celtic Kid’ now on a run of consecutive wins, he called out 37-year-old Magny, who has himself dropped consecutive fights against Michael Morales and Carlos Prates.
“I’ve called out Neil Magny a dozen times,” Matthews said in the Octagon afterwards.
“Neil come fight me.”
Despite being taken down in the first round, Matthews soon enough found his feet and gradually began to increasingly damage the Argentinian with his trademark boxing.
Wonderfully, the Sydney crowd also did their part, intermittently chanting ‘Prado’s a wanker’ as the Melburnian stunned his rival several times, including with a telling left hook in the third.
Topuria bros plan to rule 3 divisions | 03:26
AUSSIE’S RISE CONTINUES WITH WIN OVER ‘SCARY DUDE’
He once dreamed of playing NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys, but Toowoomba’s Tom Nolan now finds himself on an Octagon tear of three straight after winning before a UFC 312 crowd that included NRL bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo.
Boasting the type of hype that comes with being dubbed a “straight killer” by no less than UFC boss Dana White, 24-year-old Nolan looked dominant throughout three rounds to, early, best and then later bloody his rival Viacheslav Borshchev, aka Slava Claus.
Mixing elbows, upkicks, spinning backfists, even submission attempts, Nolan eventually took the fight on all three judges’ scorecards, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.
As UFC commentator Daniel Cormier entered the cage afterwards, the fighter who was urged on throughout the bout with that most famous of Origin chants — Queeeenslandah – said of his rival “that’s a scary dude”.
Asked to expand, he continued of Slava Claus: “He f***ing brought the best out in me
“Every day I woke up with fear in my stomach due to that man.
“Who better to test your chin against … one of the best kickboxers in the world.”
Midway through the third, a Nolan elbow split his rival, leaving him bloodied by the finish, and continued a strong run for the former Toowoomba Clydesdales backrower, who has now won three straight after losing his UFC debut.
WILD FIGHT ENDS IN HEARTBREAK FOR AUSSIE JENKINS
Australian featherweight Jack Jenkins has suffered a tough submission loss to Brazilian Gabriel Santos, despite initially dropping his rival early in the first round courtesy of a stunning head kick.
One of the nation’s most popular fighters, Jenkins looked on track for a huge first round finish – and potential $50,000 bonus – when he downed Santos and immediately looked to finish on the ground.
However, the Brazilian not only recovered but then rallied in the second and third, eventually finishing the Melburnian dubbed ‘Phar Jack’ with roughly three minutes remaining, via rear naked choke.
TOPURIA’S CLASSY ACT AS VOLK PROTEGE COMES UP SHORT
Alexander Volkanovski remains determined to get payback sometime this year, but for now those fighting Topuria brothers are up two-zip in there ongoing UFC war against Australia,
Almost a year to the day since ‘Volk’ lost his UFC featherweight crown to Ilia Topuria, the Spaniard’s older brother Aleks has gone and won his own hyped UFC debut against Colby Thicknesse – who doubles as the former champ’s main sparring partner.
In a fight where both Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria worked the respective corners, Thicknesse rallied after being dropped by a big right hand in the first, and was still seeking submissions by late in the third.
Eventually though, all three judges gave Topuria the bout 30-27.
After entering Qudos Bank Arena to a huge reception, Thicknesse endured a tough first round — dropped by a Topuria right hand midway through the first and then, after regaining his feet, thrown heavily to the canvas again late.
Yet despite all that, and agreeing to the fight on 14 days notice – and while working a security shift – Thicknesse displayed the type of grit that is now a signature of his Windang gym, eventually competing tough through all 15 minutes.
Speaking after the fight, a classy Topuria said that he believes Thicknesse deserves a UFC contract.
Classy Topuria praises Volk’s protege | 02:19
While Volkanovski was initially rumoured to be taking a Topuria rematch in April at UFC 314, there have this week been suggestions the champ will move up for a superfight against Islam Makhachev.
If that is the case, Volk will likely challenge for an interim UFC featherweight strap on the same card, against either Diego Lopes or Movsar Evloev.
AUSSIE DEBUTANT SCORES HISTORIC KNOCKOUT
UFC commentator Jon Anik named him the Australian rookie he was most excited to see – and breakout Australian lightweight Quillan Salkilld didn’t disappoint.
Walking out for the first fight of Sydney’s UFC 312 card – draped in an Australian flag, and with Black Betty blasting – Salkilld earned in an incredible, and controversial, KO finish after just 19 seconds.
It now gives him the second fastest KO by a lightweight debutant in UFC history.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, Anik described the West Australian as the fighter who had impressed him most during this week’s range of fighter meetings – and for a card topped by UFC middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis and challenger Sean Strickland.
And it took just moments for the UFC commentator to be proved right.
In the opening exchanges with Anshul Jubli, Salkilld dropped his Indian rival with a big right, prompting the referee to dive in and call it off, even though the downed fighter was not out and, in fact, was grabbing at his opponent’s leg.
Immediately afterwards, Jubli appealed with the referee for diving on top of him and calling the fight off.
However, the Indian fighter had fallen incredibly hard when dropped and there was an argument for suggesting the referee had in fact saved him from more damage in a finish only moments later.
Regardless, Salkilld is now in the UFC history books
“Perfect ending for my debut,” he said, before urging UFC boss Dana White to award him a $50,000 Performance bonus
Young Aussie delivers second fastest KO! | 00:32
Salkilld is among eight Australians appearing on the card, and one of the debutants – himself, alongside Sydneysider Colby Thicknesse and Victorian Jonathan Micallef.
Earlier in the week, Anik predicted the young Aussie to star on the Qudos Bank Arena card.
“Quillan Salkilld feels like he wants to go in there and hurt a man,” the commentator said, referencing the fighter who won his way into this event via Dana White’s Contender Series.
“I like the intensity, like the focus we got from him.
“And I think he has a pretty good match up in front of him (against Anshul Jubli).
“Often times though, you don’t know how these fighters are going to respond in the big show.
“It’s great, for example, that Colby Thicknesse has been under the watchful eye of coach Joe Lopez since he was 12 years old.
“But how does his game actually translate when fighting somebody like Aleksandre Topuria in the UFC? Dealing with all the pressure, all the emotion that comes with that?
“The three UFC newcomers – Colby, Quillan and Jon — all seem even keeled, all seem to have a maturity that belies their years.
“But those lights hit bright Sunday and we’ll see who can handle it.”
‘SO MUCH MORE TO SHOW’ FOR FELLOW DEBUTANT AFTER UD WIN
Australia’s strong start to the card continued in the next fight, with Melbourne welterweight Jonathan Micallef also earning himself a winning UFC debut against Kevin Joussett – who has superstar gym mate Israel Adesanya cheering him.
Another product of the Dana White Contender series, Micallef dropped Jousset dropped his French rival in the first round with a head kick – which appeared to come after the Australian’s rival dropped his hands, complaining of a low blow from the previous leg strike.
The shot was among a host of devastating leg assaults the Micallef landed throughout the fight, with Jousset bruised up badly on the right side of his rib cage from the first round.
By the finish, the popular hometown fighter was awarded the fight 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards thanks to mixing boxing with a series of devastating kicks.
Speaking afterwards, Micallef described the win as the strongest performance of his professional career and predicted more was to come.
“Guys you haven’t seen much of my game,” he stressed. “I’ve got so much more to show.
“Keep an eye on me.”
EARLY PRELIMS FINISH WITH A BANG
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili was in his corner, but that wasn’t enough to help American Kody Steele in an undercard bout so wild against China’s Rongzhu, the Qudos Bank crowd were on their feet after a round – and again at the finish.
“I feel f***ing good,” Rongzhu shouted after the final bell.
Undeniably, the fans agreed.
While Steele almost dropped his rival early, he was then rocked twice in the first, dropped early in the second, but rallied, attempted a submission – which Rongzhu waved a finger at as if to say ‘no’ – before the pair eventually traded again on the feet.
Then in the third, it was the Chinese fighter who looked stronger again, and spent time pointing skyward, talking to his rival, even busted out an Ali Shuffle, before the pair then spent the final seconds throwing in yet another wild exchange.
While highly entertaining, it was still a lopsided win for Rongzhu through three rounds, with all three judges awarding him the fight 30-27.
UFC 312 FULL FIGHT CARD RESULTS
Main card (from 2pm)
Dricus du Plessis (c) def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45 x2, 49-46) — middleweight
Zhang Weili (c) def. Tatiana Suarez via unanimous decision (49-46 x2, 49-45) — strawweight
Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via first-round TKO — heavyweight
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato ends a majority draw — light heavyweight
Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) — welterweight
Preliminary card (from 12pm)
Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via submission (rear-naked choke) — featherweight
Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27) — lightweight
Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) — flyweight
Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) — bantamweight
Early prelims (from 10.30am)
Rongzhu def. Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) — lightweight
Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) — welterweight
Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via first-round KO — lightweight
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