UFC 312 fight cancelled as Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis meet again

The UFC 312 pay-per-view card lost a flyweight undercard showdown just minutes before the official weigh-ins in Sydney. Saturday night sees the return of Dricus Du Plessis, who will be looking to successfully defend his middleweight title for a second time against a familiar foe in Sean Strickland. The pair first went head-to-head last January and produced a memorable dust-up, with Du Plessis given the nod on points.

The victory handed the South African the middleweight strap. He would then go on to defend the coveted prize a few months later against former king Israel Adesanya. As for Strickland, the out-spoken American returned last June, defeating Paulo Costa via split decision in a five round slugfest. This time around, though, both men will be looking to put on a more convincing display rather than leaving their fate in the hands of the judges. The pair made the championship limit of 185lbs earlier this morning. When tipping the scales, Du Plessis looked more drained that the challenger. There was some slight drama ahead of the weigh-in show - that resulted in a fight being scrapped off the early prelims.

Popular UFC commentator Jon Anik confirmed that Hyun Sung Park's flyweight bout with Nyamjargal Tumendemberel had been cancelled. According to reports, Tumendemberel had issues with cutting down to the 125lb limit. Eventually, neither fighter would go on to weigh-in. Tumendemberel featured on the Road to UFC before putting pen-to-paper on a deal with the MMA organisation. After losing on his promotional debut against Carlos Hernandez, the Mongolian star was itching to get back in the win column and pick up his first official win inside the UFC cage. As for Hyun-sung, the undefeated South Korean was looking to keep his perfect record intact in what would've been his first fight since 2023.

Thankfully, there were no other issues on the scales as every other fighter made weight. The co-main event this weekend sees a mouthwatering strawweight title fight between Zhang Weili and Tatiana Suarez. Weili will be looking to add another impressive name to her CV, but arguably faces her toughest test yet in Suarez. Despite both Du Plessis and Strickland having a bit of mutual respect for each other’s skillset, the pair were still quick to trade barbs during the press conference earlier this week. “Let me tell you something about the Dutchman, which is a cool nickname by the way,” began Strickland. “This man fights like a r***** on a short bus and hey, Dricus, I respect you for that because you fight like a f—— maniac! But, I won that fight and I’m gonna win this fight so f****** saddle up and let’s get it done!” The champion, unwilling to back down, had a brutal response to the American's stunning comments. “Yeah, I fight like somebody on the short bus, but you look like the driver, he said. "You’re not allowed near kids with that look anymore.”.