Storylines: UFC 312

Dricus Du Plessis covets the 30,000-foot view that carrying the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown affords him, and like all men in positions of power, he has no desire to relinquish it.

“Stillknocks” will defend his 185-pound title against Sean Strickland when their five-round rematch headlines UFC 312 on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Du Plessis dethroned the Xtreme Couture export in their first meeting a little more than a year ago, as he was awarded split scorecards after a contentious 25-minute battle. Strickland now gets a chance to right a perceived wrong. He enters the cage having compiled a 16-6 record across his 22 assignments in the UFC. Strickland, 33, last suited up on June 1, when he took a split decision from Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Du Plessis, meanwhile, has rattled off 10 consecutive victories as part of his climb to the top of the middleweight mountain. The 31-year-old South African savage last saw action at UFC 305, where he put away Israel Adesanya with a face crank in the fourth round of their Aug. 17 pairing. Du Plessis now holds 20 of his 22 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

The Du-Plessis-Strickland rematch and its resulting fallout for the middleweight division is but one storyline to watch at UFC 312. Here are three more:

Fit for a Queen

As a two-time champion, Weili Zhang understands the tenuous nature of title reigns better than most. More than 800 days into her second stay atop the women’s strawweight division, the Chinese superstar puts her 115-pound belt on the line against the unbeaten Tatiana Suarez in the five-round co-main event. Zhang steps back into the spotlight on the strength of a four-fight winning streak. Victories over Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice), Carla Esparza, Amanda Lemos and Xiaonan Yan anchor her resume. On the other side of the equation, the 34-year-old Suarez gets her long-sought crack at organizational gold. Injuries have limited “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 winner to just to just seven appearances since she linked arms with the UFC seven-plus years ago. She last competed on Aug. 5, 2023, when she disposed of Jessica Andrade with a guillotine choke in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 50 confrontation. Can Suarez catch lightning in a bottle?

Youth Not Wasted on the Young

Always starved for fresh talent, the heavyweight division welcomes the undefeated Tallison Teixeira with open arms. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Brazilian prospect makes his promotional debut opposite Justin Tafa in a three-round attraction that should provide its share of intrigue Down Under. Teixeira nailed down his spot on the UFC roster via Dana White’s Contender Series in September, when he needed less than two minutes to punch out Arthur Lopes. The promising 25-year-old Lucas Martins protégé has stopped all seven of his opponents inside one round. Tafa, meanwhile, has not yet lived up to the expectations that accompanied his UFC arrival in 2019. The Australia-based Kiwi finds himself on the rebound following a disappointing unanimous decision defeat to Karl Williams at UFC on ESPN 53 in March. Will Teixeira establish himself as an immediate person of interest in a notoriously tumultuous weight class?

Family Ties

Aleksandre Topuria has quite a last name to live up to. The older brother of reigning featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, he sets foot inside the Octagon for the first time when he toes the line against Colby Thicknesse in a three-round bantamweight prelim. Topuria, 29, has won three fights in a row, all of them first-round finishes. He last strapped on the gloves under The Way of Warrior banner on May 20, 2023, when he buried Johan Segas with punches in just 87 seconds and upped his record to 5-1. A short-notice substitution for Cody Haddon, the unbeaten Thicknesse cut his teeth in the Eternal MMA, Hex Fight Series and Bali MMA organizations. He operates out of the Freestyle Fighting Gym in his native Australia. Does Topuria of the necessary tools to emerge from his younger brother’s considerable shadow?