by
- What: UFC 312
- Who: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
- Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
- Location: Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia
- Time: Early Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET), Prelims (8:00 p.m. ET), Pay-Per-View Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Early Prelims (ESPN+) Prelims (ESPN2), Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
The next pay-per-view card on the UFC schedule, UFC 312, takes place on Saturday, February 8 from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The fight card is headlined by a rematch. In that contest, UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis puts his title on the line against the man he defeated to win the belt, Sean Strickland. In the co-main event, UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili faces Tatiana Suarez. Before those contests, Justin Tafa faces Tallison Teixeira in a heavyweight scrap. Before we look at the betting breakdown for that heavyweight contest, here is some background on the competitors.
Justin Tafa (7-4-0-1) joined the UFC in October 2019. The fighter from New Zealand has a 4-4-0-1 record with the promotion. He is coming off a March 2024 decision loss to Karl Williams.
Tallison Teixeira (7-0) signed a deal with the UFC in September after scoring a first-round knockout on a Dana White Contender Series card. The Brazilian makes his UFC debut on UFC 312.
Before we look at the best bets for Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira on the UFC 312 PPV card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find our betting picks for the UFC 312 main event.
UFC 312: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |  |
| Justin Tafa | +132 | +133 | +125 | +115 |
| Tallison Teixeira | -152 | -155 | -155 | -147 |
UFC 312: Justin Tafa betting breakdown
Justin Tafa had a decent run in 2023, going 2-0-1 with first-round knockouts of Austen Lane and Parker Porter in his victories. He fought once in 2024, losing to Williams via decision. All seven of Tafa’s victories have come by knockout with five first-round stoppages and two second-round finishes.
Tafa faced height and reach disadvantages against Lane that are very close to what he’ll see when he meets Teixeira in Australia. He had no problem closing distance in that fight as he is surprisingly fleet of foot when he wants to cover ground in a hurry. His speed is also deceptive because he can go from flat-footed and plodding to charging in, in the blink of an eye. Tafa’s strikes are also very fast.
Tafa has poor takedown defense, but we have no idea if Teixeira will, or can, wrestle.
Tafa packs a punch, as he needs to cut weight to hit the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds.
UFC 312: Tallison Teixeira betting breakdown
A 24-year-old heavyweight with seven first-round finishes is a fighter the UFC can use in the talent-thin division. The UFC is rushing that fighter, Tallison Teixeira, into a spot near the top of a pay-per-view card with relatively little information on how he will perform on the big stage. Teixeira secured his UFC contract on a DWCS card in 2024 with a nasty knockout win that was the highlight of Episode 6 of the 2024 DWCS season. Teixeira had some difficulty in the early moments of his bout opposite Arthur Lopes because of Lopes’ aggression and recklessness, but he was able to slow things down and get his bearings. Then, with Lopes leaving his guard down, Teixeira used a straight right to finish the fight by strikes.
Teixeira is a long and lanky heavyweight. He has a seven-inch height advantage over Tafa and a nine-inch reach advantage. If he knows how to use those attributes effectively, he should be able to keep his powerful opponent at the end of his strikes.
This is, by far, the biggest test of Teixeira’s career. The jury remains out on just how good he is at this point in his career.
All of Teixeira’s wins have come by first-round stoppage.
Best Bets: UFC 312: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
The Tafa vs. Teixeira fight is a tough one to pick because there is not much known about Teixeira at this point. This fight won’t tell us everything we need to know about Teixeira. However, it will show us if he can handle a powerful puncher who can cover ground and if he knows how to use his height and reach to his advantage. With so little to go on when it comes to Teixeira, the betting pick is the known quantity in Tafa, but a bet the other way makes just as much sense.
The betting pick is for Justin Tafa to knock out Tallison Teixeira at UFC 312.
See below the top offshore sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
Best Betting Sites 