UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis returns Down Under for another title defense, with the South African set to take on Sean Strickland in a blockbuster UFC 312 headliner in Sydney on Sunday, February 9.

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In parallel, UFC officials also announced today that women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang will defend her title against No. 1 contender Tatiana Suarez.

Other fights announced include:

* Australian heavyweight Justin Tafa vs. Brazilian Tallison Teixeira;

* Melbourne light heavyweight Jimmy Crute returns against Marcin Prachnio;

* Perth lightweight Quillan Salkilld makes his UFC debut against India’s Anshul Jubli; And

* Japanese flyweight Rei Tsuruya enters the Octagon against Australian Stewart Nicoll.

The headliner also marks the second consecutive Australian appearance for DDP, who defended and won via submission against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth in August.

Strickland, meanwhile, is no stranger to Australian fight fans either, with the polarizing American also picking up the biggest win of his own iconic career in the Harbor City.

In 2023, Strickland was a huge underdog when he scored a surprise win over then-UFC champion Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney.

Although he lost the title to DDP four months later, his popularity exploded among fight fans around the world.

Strickland’s exploits in Sydney were not without incident either – the Las Vegas resident claimed he punched an Australian fan in the street during fight week, while his controversial views also made headlines in the mainstream media both before and during fight week.

However, despite rumors suggesting that the New South Wales government would not welcome the American’s return, and despite the fighter even hinting at it himself, Prime Minister Chris Minns revealed to Fox Sports Australia back in October that there was no “ban for the fighter named “Tarzan”.

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“First, it’s important to say that we wouldn’t block it,” he stressed, referring to any fight involving Strickland.

“The second thing I would say is that I am a fight fan and I like the UFC.

“But this idea that we should support all the stupid things fighters say otherwise we can’t enjoy the sport, that’s absolutely ridiculous.

“You have the right to be an adult and enjoy sports without subscribing to everything one of the athletes says or does.”

Mr Minns also pointed to the undeniable success of the recent Sydney event, part of a $16 million deal between his government and the UFC.

“The last fight that made the headlines here, between Adesanya and Strickland, was one of the fights of the year,” he said.

“A massive spill that people have been talking about for 12 months.

“The UFC does a great job of that, they don’t protect their champions.

“Everyone has to take part.

“And that’s why you never know what you’re going to get…new champions are constantly emerging.”

Since defeating Strickland the first time out, DDP also defeated Adesanya as part of what has now become a ten-fight series that includes the likes of Derek Bruson, Darren Till and Australian Robert Whittaker.

Given that Strickland lost to DDP by a controversial split decision, the 33-year-old has recently made clear his desire to sit back and wait for the title rematch – which has now arrived.

Like du Plessis, the American has also picked up one victory since their first meeting, scoring a split decision win over Brazilian Paulo Costa in June.

Tickets for UFC 312 go on sale to the general public at 12pm (AEDT) on Friday, December 13 and can be purchased at Ticketek.com.au.