The lineup of fights for UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, on February 8, 2025, is beginning to take shape. On Monday, November 11, the promotion officially announced the first three fights added to the card.
The UFC Australia account posted the matchup graphics.
Here is a breakdown of the three announced matchups.
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Stewart Nicoll
- Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli
- Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio
Undefeated 22-year-old Japanese flyweight Rei Tsuruya is back after enjoying a successful main-roster debut against Carlos Hernandez in June. Tsuruya earned a spot on the UFC’s roster as he blasted his way through the Road to the UFC program.
Tsuruya will be behind enemy lines for this fight. His opponent, Stewart Nicoll, is from Redcliffe, Queensland, and he will have massive support at the Qudos Bank Arena. Nicoll is coming off a submission loss to Jesus Aguillar at UFC 305 in October.
That event took place in Perth, Australia, so Nicoll will be determined to keep from letting his countrymen down again. Quillan Salkilld, another Australian fighter, will be in action. The 24-year-old is making his main roster debut, and he’s doing it in his home country.
Salkilld defeated Gauge Young in Season 8 of the Dana White Contender Series in September to earn his spot on the roster. At UFC 312, Salkilld will take on Anshul Jubli, a 29-year-old from India looking to rebound from a third-round KO loss to Mike Breeden in October 2023.
The light heavyweight scrap between Jimmy Crute and Marcin Prachnio has the highest Fight-of-the-Night potential. Crute almost always delivers non-stop action in his fights. Unfortunately for Crute, he is in a tough spot. He is on a four-fight winless streak with three losses and a draw.
A loss to Prachnio may not cost Crute his spot on the roster, but it could push him to the brink. Prachnio is coming off a loss to Modestas Bukauskas in July, and the former would love to avoid the two-fight losing streak. While those fights are official, it is widely known former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will be competing on the card.
He would like to challenge Ilia Topuria in a rematch, but the champion would prefer to take some time off after becoming the first man to knock out Max Holloway. Because of that, Volkanovski could be fighting Diego Lopes, with the winner getting the fight against Topuria, which could happen at a soccer stadium in Spain in 2025.
We don’t know when Israel Adensanya will return, but the Nigerian, whose second home has become Australia, could also return to the Octagon at this event. Adesanya lost his last time out, which was in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth when he failed to regain the UFC middleweight title for a third time.
He fell short to bitter rival and defending champion Dricus Du Plessis. Rising middleweight Shara Magomedov has been calling Adesanya out. Stylistically, that fight could be great or dull, but it is something to watch over the next few weeks as the event comes together.
Stay tuned for more information on the card as it becomes available.
