UFC 312 had fans buzzing with excitement as the promotion made its annual trip down under, and the action didn’t disappoint. The night was headlined by a thrilling middleweight title bout between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, with plenty of drama unfolding in both the main and co-main events.
Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to break down what the fighters walked away with, not just in terms of victory but also their earnings.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland
Du Plessis was on the move early in the main event, landing a few solid strikes while Strickland focused on jabbing and pressing forward. As the round went on, DDP started landing more supplementing his head kicks and a few body shots. Strickland continued to remain passive, while Du Plessis picked up the pace, connecting with kicks and landing a strong right hand.
In the second round, Du Plessis upped the ante and landed some explosive shots, including a spinning back fist and a spinning elbow. Strickland was bleeding from his chin and backing up, struggling to keep up with the South African’s offensive onslaught. By the third round, it was clear Du Plessis was in full control, landing clean shots and snapping Strickland’s head back.
The fourth and 5th rounds weren’t any different, except DDP found a gap in Strickland’s Philly shell and broke his nose. It was clear at this point that if Strickland doesn’t get a finish here, the title is all but lost to him. Interestingly despite repeated feedback from his coach Eric Nicksick to force the issue, the challenger refused to shift gears.
This rematch ended exactly as their first fight at UFC 297 did. The champion outstruck and outwitted Strickland for yet another unanimous decision win.
For his efforts, Du Plessis allegedly raked in a solid payday with a base salary of $1.2 million. Assuming around 500,000 buys for UFC 312, his PPV payout added another $400,000, pushing his total earnings for the night to an impressive $2.14 million, along with $42,000 in sponsorships.
On the other hand, Strickland is said to have earned $1 million as his base salary, along with an additional $32,000 from sponsorships, totaling $1.03 million.
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While both fighters made significant amounts, Du Plessis came out ahead, thanks to the added PPV payout, which is a major boost for any fighter, especially when they are champions headlining main events.
Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez
Suarez showed a lot of heart but despite her best efforts found Weili to be just that little bit better than her. She quickly got a takedown and worked from half-guard. For most of the first round, the challenger had top control, though there wasn’t much damage. Weili managed to scramble out of a guillotine and worked from the top as the round ended.
In the second, Weili picked up the pace, landing big shots and stuffing Suarez’s takedown attempts. She was able to take top control after a trip and launched a solid ground-and-pound attack on the challenger.
By the third round, Suarez was visibly tired, and Weili’s strikes were landing cleaner than ever. Despite Suarez’s efforts, Weili dominated the rest of the fight, controlling the clinch and maintaining the top position whenever they hit the ground.
Suarez’s face bore further damage as Weili’s defense and striking kept her in charge all the way through to the bell. All three judges saw the fight the same way and awarded Zhang a unanimous decision win and her third title defense. With this win, Weili becomes the first UFC women’s fighter after 35 to successfully defend her title against a younger opponent.
In doing that, she is said to have earned a base salary of $800,000. On top of that, assuming the event hit around 500,000 PPV buys, she made an additional $400,000 from the payout. Throw in $42,000 for sponsorships, and her total earnings for the night come to an impressive $1,742,000.
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Meanwhile, Tatiana Suarez, while not quite matching Zhang’s total, still took home a solid amount with a base salary of $300,000 and $32,000 in sponsorships, bringing her total earnings to $332,000.
