This Saturday, the UFC is making its return to the Land Down Under as UFC 312 takes place from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Headlined by two undisputed world title fights for the middleweight and women’s strawweight championships, this is sure to be an unforgettable evening of mixed martial arts.
Dricus Du Plessis Moneyline
-210
Along with plenty of competitive matchups that are sure to bring the heat in the Octagon, there’s also several awesome betting opportunities for UFC 312 odds.
Below we’ve compiled the best UFC 312 predictions in our comprehensive betting preview so you can score a knockout over the oddsmakers with our top moneymaking picks and predictions. Don’t wait, strap on the gloves and come out swinging with your UFC 312 bets today.
Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
Best odds on Matthews to win the fight: -220 (bet365)
Best odds on Prado to win the fight: +190 (Pinnacle)
Kicking off the main card of UFC 312, we’ve got a great battle between Australian Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews vs. Francisco Prado. In a clash between a battle-tested veteran against a young up-and-comer, back the hometown fighter Matthews to score the decision win in this opening bout.
While Prado has shown signs of promise in his initial showing in the UFC, the 22-year-old fighter is sure to struggle in a hostile environment against a competitor that has accumulated 20 fights in the UFC dating back to 2014.
Matthews is a well-rounded fighter that has shared the cage with some of the division’s best such as Sean Brady, Michael Morales, and Phil Rowe. With his edge in experience, as well as a notable four-inch reach advantage, Matthews is sure to dictate the pace of the action as he outclasses his underclassman.
With six of his 13 wins in the UFC having come by decision, bank on Matthews to open UFC 312 with a superb showing, netting you an easy win to start the evening as the judges award him with the victory.
Prediction: Matthews to win by DEC (+110 @ 888sport)
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato
Best odds on Crute to win the fight: +135 (Sports Interaction)
Best odds on Bellato to win the fight: -154 (Pinnacle)
In what’s sure to be a thrilling bout for as long as it lasts, don’t blink while watching the matchup between Jimmy “The Brute” Crute vs. Rodolfo “Trator” Bellato as it’s sure to come to a close in a hurry. With a combined 16 first-round finishes between both fighters, expect to see a finish in this contest.
While both men are dangerous inside the Octagon, look for Bellato to emerge victorious as he makes it back-to-back wins by knockout against Crute. Coming off of a dominant display against Ihor Potieria in which he earned a second-round knockout, Bellato is set to capitalize against a slumping Crute.
Riding a four-fight winless streak, three of which coming by way of finish, Crute has undeniably hit a wall in his professional MMA career.
With Crute on the downslide and Bellato on the upswing, look for Bellato to silence the Aussie crowd as he knocks out Melbourne-native, Crute en route to notching you a juicy payday.
Prediction: Bellato to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+175 @ bet365)
Tallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa
Best odds on Teixeira to win the fight: -131 (Pinnacle)
Best odds on Tafa to win the fight: +115 (Sports Interaction)
Amplifying my opening sentiments about the Crute vs. Bellato fight to the ninth degree, don’t expect to see the heavyweight clash between Tallison “Xicao” Teixeira vs. Justin “Bad Man” Tafa to reach the second round. In a showdown between two polished kickboxers, this fight is sure to stay on the feet resulting in a quick knockout finish.
While Tafa has shown he has knockout power in spades, he is set to have a tough time finding openings against the towering Teixeira, who possesses sensational finishing ability himself. Having scored all seven of his pro wins by way of first round finish, six of which coming by way of knockout, expect to see Teixeira finish Tafa viciously in their upcoming bout.
Possessing a massive size advantage of seven inches in height and nine inches in reach, this discrepancy is going to play a pivotal factor in determining the winner of this matchup. Expect to see Tafa struggle to close the distance on his opponent, allowing for Teixeira to unload ferocious blows early and often in their scrap.
At +137, there’s still great value in backing Teixeira to win by knockout as his record remains unblemished in an attempt to make a statement in his UFC debut.
Prediction: Teixeira to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+137 @ bet365)
Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez
Best odds on Zhang to win the fight: +101 (Pinnacle)
Best odds on Suarez to win the fight: -116 (Pinnacle)
In the co-main event of UFC 312, dominant champion of the strawweight division, Weili “Magnum” Zhang, defends her undisputed gold against perennial contender, Tatiana Suarez. In a surprise turn of events, since opening as the favourite to win their title fight, Zhang has seen her odds plummet as the challenger Suarez is now favoured to win the belt.
While oddsmakers and sharps seem to have found a line they like, I can’t believe that we can score Zhang to win at plus money. Having made mince meat out of her competition throughout her UFC tenure, Zhang has time and time again proven she is the complete package. With sensational striking ability coupled with reliable grappling skills, Zhang is arguably the best fighter in the division’s history.
Not to take anything away from Suarez, as she’s been impressive throughout her 10-0 run as a professional fighter, she simply doesn’t have the skillset to compete with Zhang. Relying heavily on her world-class wrestling, if Suarez isn’t able to maintain top control on the ground, she is going to lose this fight.
Holding a distinct disadvantage on the feet, the speed, power, and creativity of Zhang is going to shine in the co-main as she inflicts damaging shots repeatedly throughout the contest.
Even with her proven finishing ability at 115 lbs, the best bet for this bout is to take Zhang to win by decision as Suarez keeps things competitive, but still coming up short in the end.
Prediction: Zhang to win by DEC (+275 @ Betway)
Weili Zhang Moneyline
+100
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Best odds on Du Plessis to win the fight: -200 (Betway)
Best odds on Strickland to win the fight: +170 (bet365)
In the long-awaited rematch between the top 185-lb men’s bracket in the world, Dricus “Stillknocks” Du Plessis will look to make it 2-0 against Sean “Tarzan” Strickland in their main event rematch for undisputed gold.
Their first meeting that came back in 2024 in Toronto, Canada was a thrilling spectacle as both men competed admirably in a back-and-forth affair. In the end, it was Du Plessis who took the split decision victory and claimed the belt off Strickland.
With both fighters coming off of impressive wins since their last meeting, they’ll have a chance to settle the score in this main event bout. While Strickland has seemingly found his rhythm in the Octagon in the midst of his prime, look for him to have his night cut short as Du Plessis silences all doubt about who’s the superior fighter with a knockout victory.
Having demonstrated a suspect chin in the past, Strickland may be susceptible to the heavy strikes of DDP. While he enjoys moving forward and keeping his opponents on their back foot, Du Plessis has never backed down from meeting his opponents in the middle and engaging, forcing Strickland to abandon his game plan and instead throw down in a dogfight.
Sporting impressive knockout victories over division mainstays such as Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson in the UFC, DDP is poised to continue his unbeaten run in the organization.
Additionally, an interesting trend to keep in mind is the results of rematches after nail-biting decisions. With examples such as Lawler vs. MacDonald I, Jones vs. Gustafson I, and most recently Makhachev vs Volkanovski I, the victor of the original bout has bounced back in a big way, scoring a knockout victory in each of the aforementioned cases.
Bank on Du Plessis to continue this trend as he sends Strickland face-first into the canvas, cementing himself as the top dog at middleweight, and capping off your night with a sizeable +400 boost to your bankroll.
Prediction: Du Plessis to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+400 @ Sports Interaction)
UFC 312 Prelim Picks
At UFC 312, there’s no shortage of unreal bouts scheduled to take place from start to finish, so why not get some skin in on the fights before the main card begins with our prelim picks? Below you can find our predictions for each prelim matchup on the latest UFC 312 odds so you can enter the main card action already with winnings in your account.
- Park by DEC (+250)
- Salkilld by KO/TKO/DQ (+200)
- Micallef by DEC (+350)
- Rongzhu by KO/TKO/DQ (+375)
- Thicknesse by KO/TKO/DQ (+1600)
- Wang by KO/TKO/DQ (+225)
- Nolan by KO/TKO/DQ (+260)
- Santos by KO/TKO/DQ (+550)
