Sean Strickland will compete in the UFC 312 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this weekend in Sydney with a visible wound on his left arm.
Reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who defeated Strickland when they first went to war atop the UFC 297 fight card in Toronto, called attention to “Tarzan’s” condition on social media.
“He grew taller and added staph infection to his arsenal,” Du Plessis wrote. “Oh sh*t.”
Perhaps that infection helped fuel rumors of a potential UFC 312 backup fighter.
“Listen you motherf*ckers, I’m immune to staph,” Strickland said during the UFC 312 press conference. “You see this f*cking mustache? I give staph, I don’t f*cking get staph. Calm the f*ck down. I don’t get sick. I don’t get f*cking injured and I don’t get f*cking staph. So relax. I’m going to be out there on Sunday and I’m going to come out f*cking hard and strong. The hardest and strongest you’ve ever f*cking seen. To the f*cking death, Dutchman!”
I swear we’ve heard that somewhere before.
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.
