UFC 312: Expert picks, best bets for Du Plessis-Strickland 2 - ESPN

Two UFC titles will be up for grabs this weekend as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis faces Sean Strickland in the UFC 312 main event, a rematch of their January 2024 title fight, and strawweight champion Zhang Weili goes for her third title defense vs. Tatiana Suarez in the co-main. The fight card takes place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN2/Disney+/ESPN+ and early prelims at 6 p.m. on Disney+/ESPN+).

Du Plessis, tied for No. 9 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings and undefeated inside the Octagon, last defended the title against former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August. Strickland, ESPN's No. 2-ranked middleweight, is a former champion of the division. He lost the belt to Du Plessis in their last fight.

Dre Waters spoke to veteran MMA coach and ESPN analyst Din Thomas to get his perspective on the main and co-main events. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the title fights and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

How Du Plessis wins: He needs to keep pressure on Strickland and dictate the pace. Keep moving forward to keep Strickland on the back foot. Du Plessis has to attack first, but he also needs to attack last, if Strickland has a counter for Du Plessis' initial attack. In addition to affecting Strickland's game plan, that activity could look better in the eyes of the judges. Du Plessis is also a skilled grappler, and if he can utilize that ability, it will be hard for Strickland to predict what's coming.

How Strickland wins: Strickland has to keep moving forward. Whether it's throwing more kicks or being more active with his punches,