UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis fight updates and results tonight
Re-live updates from the middleweight title fight, as well as a clash for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt
Dricus Du Plessis took the middleweight title from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 on Saturday, beating the controversial American via split decision.
Strickland won the belt from Israel Adesanya in September, in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, but his first defence was an unsuccessful one.
Du Plessis entered the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of former champion Robert Whittaker last July, and although the South African failed to replicate that explosive performance, he just did enough to emerge victorious.
After five rounds, the judges’ scorecards read 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 in favour of Du Plessis, though the result could easily have gone the other way.
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington beat Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision to win the vacant women’s bantamweight title. Re-live updates and see all the results from UFC 297 below.
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
Some other important news this week...
Will this one end up being a fight of the year contender? Or is Max Holloway in for another ill-fated venture at lightweight?
Justin Gaethe vs Max Holloway official as ‘BMF’ title returns at UFC 300
Gaethje won the ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ belt last year and will defend it against Holloway, who will move up to lightweight for the bout
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
While we wait for the main card to begin, let’s look back at some other big news from the MMA world this week, starting with this update from Jon Jones:
Jon Jones provides update on UFC return amid recovery from injury
The heavyweight champion gave a surprising update regarding UFC 300 in April
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
We didn’t just talk to Saint-Denis about Dustin Poirier and UFC 299...
We also spoke about the 28-year-old’s time in a counter-terrorism unit of the French special forces...
And much more!
Here’s the full interview:
How Benoit Saint-Denis went from fighting terrorists to fighting in the UFC
Exclusive interview: The Frenchman looks back on his time in the special forces, and ahead to his biggest fight yet – against Dustin Poirier in March
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
This week, Indy Sport conducted an exclusive interview with UFC lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis.
It was revealed last week that the Frenchman will be fighting ex-interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March.
We spoke to Saint-Denis about that fight:
Benoit Saint-Denis ‘surprised’ that Dustin Poirier accepted UFC 299 fight
Exclusive interview: The Frenchman, ranked 12th at lightweight, gets a shot at third-ranked Poirier in March
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
Tonight’s main event won’t technically be the first time that Strickland and Du Plessis have fought...
The pair brawled at ringside in December, during UFC 296, and Strickland has since admitted to biting his challenger...
UFC champion admits to biting challenger in ringside brawl
Du Plessis had used Strickland’s childhood trauma as a source of trash talk just one day earlier
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
Strickland had some pretty choice words for women’s MMA and the LGBTQ community this week.
Here’s what the controversial American had to say:
Sean Strickland launches derisive attack on women’s MMA ahead of UFC 297
The men’s middleweight champion also confronted a journalist over his views on the LGBTQ community
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
The odds for tonight’s main event...
Strickland – 4/6
Du Plessis – 5/4
Via Bet365.
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
Here’s tonight’s card in full (subject to any very late changes!):
Main card
Sean Strickland (C) vs Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight title)
Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva (vacant women’s bantamweight title)
Neil Magny vs Mike Malott (welterweight)
Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault (middleweight)
Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev (featherweight)
Prelims
Brad Katona vs Garrett Armfield (bantamweight)
Charles Jourdain vs Sean Woodson (featherweight)
Serhiy Sidey vs Ramon Taveras* (bantamweight) *Taveras missed weight at 139.7lbs
Gillian Robertson vs Polyana Viana (women’s strawweight)
Early prelims
Yohan Lainesse vs Sam Patterson (welterweight)
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Priscila Cachoeira (women’s bantamweight)
Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via second-round submission (head-arm triangle, 1:17)
UFC 297 card in full as Strickland fights Du Plessis in main event tonight
The middleweight title is on the line in the main event, after a fight for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
UFC 297 is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The early prelims just got going at 11.30pm GMT (4.30pm PT, 6.30pm CT, 7.30pm ET), with the regular prelims due to follow at 1am GMT on Sunday 21 January (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday).
The main card will then begin at 3am GMT on Sunday (8pm PT, 10pm CT, 11pm ET on Saturday), and that’s when our fight updates will start!
More info here:
What time does UFC 297 start tonight?
The middleweight title is on the line in the main event, after a fight for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis
UFC 297 is airing live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
More info here:
How to watch UFC 297 online and on TV tonight
The middleweight title is on the line in the main event, after a fight for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt
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