UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis fight updates and results ...
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis will clash for the UFC middleweight title tonight, with the vacant women’s bantamweight belt also on the line in Toronto.
Strickland won the middleweight title with a seismic upset of Israel Adesanya in September, and now the controversial American makes his first defence of the belt. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Du Plessis enters the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of ex-champion Robert Whittaker in July.
Strickland and Du Plessis have fought each other before, in a sense, having brawled in the crowd at UFC 296 in December, and fans are expecting a scrappy contest this evening.
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington will fight Mayra Bueno Silva to crown a new women’s bantamweight champion, seven months after the icon Amanda Nunes retired and relinquished the belt.
Follow live updates and results from UFC 297 below.
UFC 297 LIVESean Strickland defends middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis
Strickland became champion with seismic upset over Israel Adesanya
Controversial American is making his first title defence here
South Africa’s Du Plessis enters UFC 297 on back of surprise TKO of Robert Whittaker
Strickland and Du Plessis brawled at ringside in December
Strickland under fire this week for sexist and anti-LGBTQ comments
Co-main event: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight title
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva05:27 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Hard outside low kick by Silva. She grabs Pennington and forces her back to the fence. Knees to the body by Silva.
Pennington reverses the position, but Silva then does the same. Pennington with a series of knees to the leg of Silva.
Silva with a knee to the body. Pennington goes for a trip, but Silva does a good job of regaining her balance. Now the Brazilian tries for a D’Arce!
But it’s on the chin, and Pennington is able to slip out.
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva05:23 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Good spell from Pennington! She stuns Silva with a couple of right hands, then chases her and lands an elbow!
She’s smothering Silva, though! Why is she grappling??
Silva is able to get the better of the exchange, slipping behind and taking the back!
She’s hanging off Pennington and trying for a rear naked choke! She’s only got it on the chin, however, and she soon gives up.
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva05:21 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Good calf kick from Silva. Pennington lands a series of jabs. Silva closes range and grapples Pennington against the fence, to the sound of boos.
Pennington is able to create some space and get off some more good shots, but Silva grabs another Thai clinch and fires off elbows and body punches.
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva05:17 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Silva takes the back with ease! She’s working on a rear naked choke. Pennington is fighting the hands. She stands.
Eventually Silva gives up on the choke, but the Brazilian is able to drag down the American.
Good punches from behind by Silva, who then tries for the rear naked choke.
Pennington survives to the buzzer.
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva05:14 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Both fighters stand orthodox. Silva kicks low, Pennington with a flurry of punches upstairs, then a body kick.
Silva goes southpaw. Pennington grabs a single-leg and forces Silva back to the fence. Silva is able to neutralise her, as the pair clinch.
Pennington holds Silva against the cage. Nice elbows from Silva. Silva reverses the position and gets a takedown!
05:09 , Alex Pattle
Five five-minute rounds scheduled here. Let’s go!
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva05:01 , Alex Pattle
Time for the co-main event!
Former title challenger Raquel Pennington faces Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt.
Fighting icon Amanda Nunes relinquished the title last summer, when she retired from MMA.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:55 , Alex Pattle
Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via third-round TKO (ground strikes, 4:45).
Unbelievable. Honestly. Magny did almost nothing for 14 minutes, then suddenly turned the tide completely in the final minute or so.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:53 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Malott isn’t able to advance the position or do much damage from Magny’s guard.
A scramble eventually seems Magny stand, and he’s able to get his own takedown!
He dumps down Malott and rains down some punches, and Malott tries a leg lock.
Magny ends up mounting him, flattening him out and landing hard punches! Thirty seconds left!
No defence from Malott! Surely Magny isn’t going to do this...
HE DOES! HE GETS THE TKO! In the final 15 seconds, almost out of NOWHERE!
What just happened?!
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:50 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Malott with a takedown early in the final round! He briefly tries a guillotine but gives up, and Magny stands against the cage.
Malott gets a single-leg and eventually dumps Magny to the mat. Malott straight into Magny’s full guard.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:47 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Magny scrambles and is able to stand, but Malott soon gets a body lock and takes down Magny against the cage! A heavy landing for the veteran.
Again Malott is in half-guard. He writhes free and stands, before diving into side mount, then mount!
Good elbows from above to end the round.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:43 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Malott’s corner is confident that he’s hurt the lead leg of Magny.
Big one-two from Malott! Magny comes forward with a trio of straight punches but misses.
Decent push kick to the body by Magny. Hard body kick by Malott, who then lands a takedown and is straight into half-guard.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:39 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Malott presses forward early. Hard outside low kick from him. Now Magny comes forward. Malott misses with a Superman punch and a high kick.
“F*** you, Magny,” is the chant from the crowd...
Malott closes range, and Magny gets a body lock, but he’s unable to do much with it.
The fighters separate, and Malott kicks low again. And again, hard!
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:32 , Alex Pattle
Great reaction for Malott! Canadian men are 0-6 on this card, can he buck that trend?
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott04:23 , Alex Pattle
Next up, we head to the welterweight division, where veteran Neil Magny fights Canada’s Mike Malott.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:22 , Alex Pattle
Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27).
I’d have gone the other way. Those 30-27s are surprising, for sure...
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:19 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Barriault has increased the tempo in this final round. He’s sporting a cut to the face but seems unperturbed.
Brutal fighting at close range now! Knees in close!
The final buzzer sounds.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:17 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Sharp jab by Barriault, then a cross, but he steps onto a body hook by Curtis.
Body kick and a jab upstairs by Barriault. Hard body shots by both men.
Curtis tries a combination of punches but sees most of the shots blocked.
Good counter overhand by Curtis, uppercut from Barriault, elbow by Curtis. The crowd is briefly buoyed.
Sharp elbows from both men at close range! Good uppercuts from Barriault in close, too.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:13 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Curtis is largely trying to box over the top of Barriault’s kicks.
Barriault partially lands a knee. Good jab from the Canadian now, too, and a couple of body kicks.
Nice cross by Curtis, but he’s getting backed up and eats another body kick.
Curtis with a few hook attempts, as he tries to deter Barriault, who is building some momentum here.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:10 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Decent cross for Curtis. Body kick by Barriault. The middleweights trade low kicks.
Barriault with a decent uppercut, and Curtis responds in kind. The action is ticking along, but the crowd is still restless.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:06 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Barriault kicks high again, landing to the lat of Curtis, who fires back with a counter hook.
The crowd is growing a bit restless. Curtis taunts Barriault, before unloading a right and left hand to the body.
Decent front kick by Barriault. Curtis just about lands a right hook. Barriault with a teasing uppercut.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault04:04 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Curtis stands southpaw, Barriault is orthodox. Curtis presses forward, feinting jabs. Barriault misses with a lazy front kick.
Hard outside low kick by Curtis. And again. One more. Barriault kicks high, landing to the elbow of Curtis, who raises his guard.
Now Barriault kicks low, to the inside of Curtis’s lead leg. A jab is just wide of the mark for Barriault.
UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault03:54 , Alex Pattle
We head to the middleweight division, in a nice appetiser for tonight’s main event, as Chris Curtis takes on Canada’s own Marc-Andre Barriault.
American Curtis emerges to the walkout music of WWE legend Edge!
Here we go, three five-minute rounds scheduled.
UFC 297 LIVE: Frankie Edgar inducted into Hall of Fame03:49 , Alex Pattle
Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is announced as the first entrant in this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class!
Frankie Edgar (right) fought in multiple divisions (Josh Hedges/ Zuffa LLC)
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:44 , Alex Pattle
Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Probably the right call, although the fight was much closer than the commentary team suggested; they were very pro-Evloev, but Allen arguably even knicked that one.
Lots of respect between the fighters, which is nice to see.
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:41 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Allen with a rangey jab and a cross to the body. Evloev tries for a single-leg again, but once more Allen defends well.
Hard knee by Evloev! Allen is stalking him. Lots of blood around Evloev’s left eye, but it could be from Allen’s prior cut.
Body kick by Evloev. Allen with a straight to the body. And again.
Evloev with a single-leg attempt, and Allen defends with a D’Arce attempt! Evloev spins out of it!
A scramble ensues. Allen stands, but Evloev is hanging onto him from behind.
Good back elbows from Allen, while Evloev knees him in the leg.
We’ll go to the scorecards.
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:38 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Allen loads up on a left hand but misses. A front kick just about lands for Evloev.
Great combination for Allen! He ends it with a low kick, but he stung Evloev upstairs! Very quick.
Allen leans off the centre line and misses with a counter uppercut. Decent jab by Evloev.
Allen defends a double-leg and goes for a guillotine. Instead he holds Evloev and lands a few hard knees, but Evloev is leaning down and sporadically touching the mat, meaning the shots are just about illegal.
The action is paused, and Allen gets a warning. Now we’re back under way.
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:33 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Jumping knee lands for Evloev! Allen takes it well and keeps pressing forward.
Allen sidesteps a deep cross from Evloev and fires off his own cross, aiming at the body.
OH! Evloev hurts Allen with a jab and a hook! Allen stumbls to his knees then pops back up, but he’s been badly cut around his left eye!
Allen is looking a bit off now...
This incoming, final round may be the decider. Allen’s coach Firas Zahabi believes he needs a finish, though.
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:31 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Evloev is 1/9 on takedowns, officially. You could argue he should’ve been credited with a couple more late in the round.
Jab and southpaw cross to the body by Allen. Another failed takedown attempt for Evloev, who sees a head kick blocked again. Allen fires back with one of his own, but it doesn’t quite land clean.
Another blocked head kick for Evloev. In fact, Allen catches it and shoves the Russian away. Another single-leg attempt by Evloev, and he’s able to get Allen down.
Allen stands and lands some nice back elbows, as Evloev hangs on from behind! Evloev still hanging on, as Allen stands against the fence.
After some grappling there, the pair move into the open.
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:27 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Evloev with some nice jabs at last, and a couple of right hooks. Now he sees a head kick blocked.
“Allen” is the chant from the Toronto crowd. More good jabs from the Briton. Again Evloev shoots for a takedown, but he’s stopped at the source.
He goes again, but Allen sprawls then rolls... but Evloev eventually grabs ahold of Allen’s back!
Once more Allen rolls, but Evloev maintains his grip. Allen is now standing against the fence.
Evloev drags Allen down a couple of times, but that’s likely still Allen’s round as a result of his superior striking output.
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:24 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Great atmosphere in Toronto, which is staging its first UFC event in a while.
Allen stands southpaw, Evloev is orthodox. Allen presses forward early. Good, long right hook by him.
Now a decent counter left by the Briton, beating Evloev to the punch. Slick jab for Allen, too, and a body shot.
Allen is very light on his feet as he hops in with another body jab. Here’s the first takedown attempt by Evloev, a single-leg, and he gets Allen to the fence.
Allen did very well to stay on his feet there. And he wriggles free against the fence!
UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev03:15 , Alex Pattle
We kick off with Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev at featherweight.
England’s “Almighty” Allen (19-2) is looking to bounce back from his first loss in a long time – a decision defeat by ex-champion Max Holloway last April – while Evloev is unbeaten at a startling 17-0.
A lot has been made of the Russian’s takedown success and Allen’s impressive takedown defence; which will win out tonight?
There’s a good reaction for fourth-ranked Allen, who spends a lot of time training in Canada. Evloev is ranked ninth, so could leap up the rankings with a win here.
Okay, this one could be intriguing... Here we go!
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis03:06 , Alex Pattle
And here’s how the main card looks, working backwards from the from main event:
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)
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis03:03 , Alex Pattle
Here are the results so far tonight:
Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sean Woodson def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Ramon Taveras def. Serhiy Sidey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana via second-round TKO (3:12)
Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse via first-round submission (rear naked choke, 2:03)
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira via third-round submission (anaconda choke, 4:21)
Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via second-round submission (head-arm triangle, 1:17)
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis02:53 , Alex Pattle
The main card is just minutes away! Don’t go anywhere; we’ll give you a round-up of all the prelim results in a few moments, before we dive into our live fight updates from the main card!
Sean Strickland (left) and UFC middleweight title challenger Dricus Du Plessis (AP)
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis02:40 , Alex Pattle
Outside of the UFC, there was more big news as the PFL and Bellator announced a champions vs champions card, which is due to take place in Saudi Arabia next month:
Saudi entry into MMA begins with huge PFL vs Bellator card
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis02:25 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis02:10 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis01:58 , Alex Pattle
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
01:47 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis01:30 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis01:14 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis00:53 , Alex Pattle
The odds for tonight’s main event...
Strickland – 4/6
Du Plessis – 5/4
Via Bet365.
Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis00:30 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis00:10 , Alex Pattle
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?
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du PlessisSaturday 20 January 2024 23:50 , Alex Pattle
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
UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du PlessisSaturday 20 January 2024 23:33 , Alex Pattle
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis will clash for the UFC middleweight title tonight, with the vacant women’s bantamweight belt also on the line in Toronto.
Strickland won the middleweight title with a seismic upset of Israel Adesanya in September, and now the controversial American makes his first defence of the belt. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Du Plessis enters the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of ex-champion Robert Whittaker in July.
Strickland and Du Plessis have fought each other before, in a sense, having brawled in the crowd at UFC 296 in December, and fans are expecting a scrappy contest this evening.
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington will fight Mayra Bueno Silva to crown a new women’s bantamweight champion, seven months after the icon Amanda Nunes retired and relinquished the belt.
Sean Strickland (left) and UFC middleweight title challenger Dricus Du Plessis (AP)
