Ronda Rousey was knocked out by Holly Holm in the UFC 193 main event more than nine years ago in Australia. The shocking, second-round finish ended “Rowdy’s” perfect record, cost her the bantamweight title, and put her one loss away from quitting the sport altogether.
Showing up for the event just three days before fight night may have contributed to her downfall.
Reigning middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, won’t make the same mistake ahead of this weekend’s “super boring” Sean Strickland rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney. “Stillknocks” arrived more than two weeks ago to help get accustomed to his new surroundings.
UFC CEO, Dana White, was impressed by the preparations.
“I ran into Du Plessis in the elevator at the hotel and his coach and they were telling me … I mean, these guys do everything right,” White told Mark Bouris. “They’re actually really smart in how they approach everything. I’ll give you an example: he got here over two weeks ago to acclimate to the time and all the other things. I think that’s one of the things that boxing has over us. Because we had such humble beginnings and we’re only 30 years old as a sport. These guys don’t do the things that boxers do.”
And don’t make the money that boxers make.
“When you were a boxer at that level making that kind of money and you were the main event, the camp was built all around you,” White continued. “You had your own camp, your own training partners. You would get into a place early to acclimate, whether it’s to altitude or time differences or temperature or humidity, all these different things play a factor in the fight. I think Du Plessis camp did a great job of getting here early.”
That can be challenging for UFC fighters who barely break even.
“Ronda Rousey, when she flew over here to Australia and lost to Holly Holm, she came straight from filming a movie,” White said. “Got here three days before the fight, had a hard time making weight because of it, and obviously the time difference — and you saw how that fight ended for Ronda. Du Plessis, him and his team, his coaches, are brilliant. They have a great gameplan coming into this fight.”
A gameplan that does not include the dropping of UFC fans.
Du Plessis defeated Strickland to capture the middleweight crown at UFC 297, a decision victory that was close enough to warrant a rematch. Their five-round headliner pops off this Sat. night (Feb. 8, 2025) on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
LIVE! Watch UFC 312 PPV On ESPN+ Here!
MIDDLEWEIGHT REMATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Feb. 8, with a rematch between 185-pound kingpin, Dricus du Plessis, running it back against the man he lifted the belt off little more than one year ago, Sean Strickland, in the five-round main event. In UFC 312’s championship co-headliner from inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, women’s Strawweight roost-ruler, Zhang Weili, will defend her belt against undefeated (and oft-injured) 115-pound contender, Tatiana Suarez. UFC 312 will also feature a hard-hitting Heavyweight battle between Justin Tafa vs. Talisson Teixeira, alongside a Light Heavyweight showdown with Jimmy Crute facing Rodolfo Bellato, and so much more! UFC 312’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 312 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 312: “Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 312 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
