UFC Champions Brother Set To Debut At UFC 312 In Sydney
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 23: A general view of the Octagon prior to the UFC Fight Night event at ... [+] UFC APEX on March 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesIlia Topuria may be the breakout star of 2024 in MMA and the sports fighter of the year. Were about to find out if MMA brilliance runs in his family. Topurias brother Aleksandre Topuria is reportedly set to make his UFC debut at UFC 312 on February 9 in Sydney, Australia.Aleksandre has a 5-1 record as a pro, and he has finished each of his opponents. According to reports, Topuria will be handed a very tough first assignment in his UFC debut.MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 18: Aleksandre Topuria and Ilia Topuria attends the premiere of "Topuria" ... [+] at Cines Callao on September 18, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Benito/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe 28-year-old Topuria (who is one year older than his brother, the reigning UFC featherweight champion) is reportedly drawing Cody Haddon for a prelim fight on the stacked UFC 312 card.Haddon earned his UFC contract with a first-round submission victory over Billy Brand during Season 8 of Dana Whites Contender Series.LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: Cody Haddon of Australia reacts after a decision victory against Dan ... [+] Argueta in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCHaddon followed up that win and contract-earning performance with a unanimous decision victory over Dan Arguelta in October. Injuries have kept Topuria from competing more frequently.When he makes his UFC debut, itll be Topurias first fight in almost two years. His last fight came in May 2023 for the WOW promotion. Topuria scored a first-round TKO win over Johan Segas.MORE FOR YOUThis fight hasnt been made official by the UFC. That could come after the New Year, as were unlikely to hear any official news from the promotion until 2025barring something special and huge coming from Dana White on a special project.Rumored UFC 312 Fight Card(c) Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland - Middleweight Championship - Main Event(c) Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez - Strawweight Championship - Co-Main EventKamaru Usman vs. Jack Della Maddalena - WelterweightRei Tsuruya vs. Stewart Nicoll - FlyweightJimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio - Light HeavyweightQuiland Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli - LightweightTallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa - HeavyweightTom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev - LightweightJack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos - FeatherweightAleksandre Topuria vs. Cody Haddon - BantamweightNo matter what is added to this card, it looks like a strong show on paper. If the two world championship fights stick at the top of the card, the UFC will have presented back-to-back pay-per-views with two titles on the line.UFC 311 OverviewUFC 311, scheduled for January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, will feature two title fights as well. There, Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight championship against Arman Tsarukyan, and Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Umar Nurmagomedov.The main event for UFC 312 is a rematch. Dricus Du Plessis dethroned Sean Strickland in January. A year later, Strickland will get his opportunity to regain his title. The co-main event fight will have Weili finally defending her title against the oft-injured No. 1 contender, Tatiana Suarez.Im a little nervous about Kamaru Usman vs. Jack Della Maddalena as its only been rumored. However, Tapology is still including it on their event page, so I have it here until the fighters or the promotion say its not happening.Be on the lookout for more UFC info as we roll into 2025.