Jimmy Crute receives new opponent for UFC 312
Jimmy Crute has a new opponent for his Australian homecoming.
MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that Crute (12-4-1) now fights Rodolfo Bellato (12-2) in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 312, which takes place Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Bellato steps in as a replacement for Marcin Prachnio, who withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons.
The new matchup was first reported by Laerte Viana.
Crute competes for the first time since July 2023, when he lost by second-round submission to Alonzo Menifield at UFC 290. The 28-year-old has battled injuries throughout his career and looks to return to the top-15 of the rankings with a strong 2025 campaign.
He’ll have to get past Bellato, a streaking finisher who is also fighting to get back on track this year. Bellato made a successful UFC debut in December 2023 with a second-round knockout of Ihor Potieria, but an injury forced him out of his lone appearance of 2024 after he was booked to fight Oumar Sy at UFC Vegas 92. “Trator” is a proven finisher, with 11 of his 12 wins coming by way of KO/TKO or submission.
UFC 312 is headlined by a pair of title bouts. Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis rematches rival Sean Strickland in the main event, while strawweight champion Zhang Weili takes on the undefeated Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event.