With both fighters being deceptively difficult to kill, their first encounter back at UFC 297 ended up being a tactical, back-and-forth battle that saw Du Plessis narrowly scrape out a split decision win on the scorecards to become the new champion at 185 pounds.

In the lead-up to UFC 312, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland has firmly dismissed allegations from reigning champion Dricus du Plessis regarding a potential staph infection. The two fighters are set to clash in a highly anticipated rematch on February 8, 2025, at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena.

The main event will see Dricus du Plessis attempt to defend his middleweight belt for the second time when he and Sean Strickland square off in a rematch of their 2024 meeting. Strickland rebounded from losing his title with a split decision over former title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 302,