UFC media crew and brass recently released the official poster for the upcoming UFC 312 PPV event. Loudmouth and unhinged UFC middleweight Sean Strickland challenges the champion inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales. He rematches champion Dricus Du Plessis for it. Meanwhile, reigning strawweight champion, Zhang Weili will look to shine again in the co-main event.
It’s never a good idea to have a mid-level media poster for sluggers. Du Plessis vs. Strickland wasn’t all that jazzy on paper. But both have uniquely weird styles. Strickland has pioneered defensive shell-boxing in his own way, that hardly anyone answers. Meanwhile “Stillknocks” is what people say a “cocked-out chimp” leans in like. But his phone booth aggression is quite something as a slugger.
However, mid is what this poster has come out as. Strickland also has his UFC 297 post-media day non-chalant blank face postered on. So it’s not a very interesting affair. Zhang Weili truly deserves her spot and shines on the poster. She’s fresh off a win at the milestone UFC 300 PPV in April. Now, she fights undefeated division phenom, Tatiana Suarez, for her 115-pound strap.
Get ready for TWO title fights down under 🏆🏆
The Octagon returns to Sydney in 32 days!#UFC312 | #FeelNewSydney pic.twitter.com/FrXKxkuKC4
— UFC (@ufc) January 8, 2025
But there’s also the issue where the misogynistic side of Tarzan does not like clutching space with catfights or WMMA fighters. So, expect more to come out of that. 2024 has some hits and some misses on UFC posters. For now, this one isn’t quite it for the combat sports fans. Accordingly, they have reacted to it as such.
Fight fans react to new UFC 312 poster
UFC 312 PPV will be headlined by the 185-pound titleholder who has proven his mettle. Dricus Du Plessis decisioned the angry “Tarzan” at UFC 297 at the beginning of last year. It was a judging fiasco by “dirty Canadian leftists” that Sean Strickland doesn’t need to worry about anymore. DDP then defended his gold submitting perennial middleweight Israel Adesanya.
UFC 312 poster a big miss, say fans (Source: X)Both Zhang Weili and Du Plessis are the odds-on-betting favorites to keep their gold. However, it’s not dirty judges’ scorecards and such that “company man” Sean Strickland needs to worry about. It’s his bland face-off in the new poster. Here are a top few reactions to that:
They just don’t care anymore with these posters
— Nicks0wnMMA17 🥽 (@NickS0wn17) January 8, 2025
Definition of mid.
— Gladiator MMA (@J0nJonesWife) January 8, 2025
Damn they look so bored
— bruh wtf (@bruhwtfbruhlolz) January 8, 2025
Poster is missing something, I just can’t quite put my finger on it …
— Hype TEDDY (@iCrazyTeddy) January 8, 2025
i miss when posters used to be fire
— polo (@vintage_polo22) January 8, 2025
Ass just like the Main Event
— Roller (@TheRollerd) January 8, 2025
1 second on grok pic.twitter.com/xwV4lXQZs2
— Xonious (@135dandan) January 8, 2025
Most fans have dissed that both the headlining fighters looked bland and bored. For a champ who bullied two top middleweights and made them cry during pre-fight pressers, there could have been something better. A fan account (@J0nJonesWife) even states that this poster is the “Definition of mid.“
Some even used AI to loop in doctored scraps from pure, bloody scrambles between the two. A lot have agreed that Zhang Weili is the only true warrior in this poster. Co-headliner Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) beat the likes of former champ Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza, and Jessica Andrade en route to title crack.
So, she also be a worthwhile watch. Elsewhere, Justin Tafa throws heavyweight leather against Brazilian bruiser Tallison Teixeira. Plus, Wang Cong looks to regain some of her flyweight face-off hype against the rugged Bruna Brasil. The full card reveal might just be a saving grace here.
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