UFC Champion's Sibling Prepared for Debut at UFC 312 in Sydney
Ilia Topuria might become the standout figure in MMA in 2024 and get recognized as the year's best fighter. We're about to discover if fighting prowess runs in the Topuria family. Reports suggest that Ilia's older brother Aleksandre Topuria is all set to make his UFC debut at UFC 312 on February 9 in Sydney, Australia.
Aleksandre boasts a 5-1 professional record and has finished each of his opponents. Reports hint that he'll be handed a challenging debut matchup in the UFC.
The 28-year-old Aleksandre (older than Ilia, who's the current UFC featherweight champion) is rumored to face Cody Haddon in a prelim fight on the packed UFC 312 card.
Haddon secured his UFC contract with a first-round submission victory over Billy Brand during Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series. He followed this win up with a unanimous decision victory over Dan Arguelta in October. Injuries have hindered Topuria's competitive schedule.
When Topuria steps into the UFC octagon, it will be his first bout in nearly two years. His previous fight took place in May 2023 for the WOW promotion, where he scored a first-round TKO win over Johan Segas.
Official confirmation of this fight is yet to come from the UFC. It may happen after the New Year, as the UFC usually keeps quiet about such matters until 2025, barring any unexpected, significant announcements from Dana White related to a special project.
Potential 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 Event
- Kamaru Usman vs. Jack Della Maddalena - Welterweight
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Stewart Nicoll - Flyweight
- Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio - Light Heavyweight
- Quiland Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli - Lightweight
- Tallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa - Heavyweight
- Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev - Lightweight
- Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos - Featherweight
- Aleksandre Topuria vs. Cody Haddon - Bantamweight
This card promises to be an impressive one regardless of any further additions. If the two title fights stay at the top, the UFC will have presented back-to-back pay-per-views with titles on the line.
UFC 311 Preview
UFC 311, set for January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, will also feature two title fights. 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 defeated Sean Strickland in January. Strickland will have his chance to reclaim his title a year later. Weili Zhang and Tatiana Suarez will face off in the co-main event, with Weili defending her title against the oft-injured No. 1 contender.
I have reservations about Kamaru Usman vs. Jack Della Maddalena as it hasn't been officially confirmed yet. However, Tapology is still listing it on their event page, so I'll keep it here until either the fighters or the promotion make it clear that it won't be happening.
Keep an eye out for further UFC updates as we approach 2025.
Cody Haddon, who secured his UFC contract with a impressive performance in Dana White's Contender Series, is set to face Aleksandre Topuria at UFC 312. This will be Topuria's first fight in nearly two years, having won by TKO in May 2023 for the WOW promotion.
UFC 312 is shaping up to be an exciting event, with reports suggesting that Aleksandre Topuria's older brother Ilia, who is the current UFC featherweight champion, might watch his brother make his UFC debut.
Unfortunately, official confirmation of Aleksandre Topuria vs. Cody Haddon is yet to come from the UFC, but with UFC 311 just around the corner, fans are eagerly waiting for any updates the UFC may announce.
