UFC 297 on Saturday night features two titles bouts and a much anticipated fight between featherweight contenders. The first PPV of 2024 is a solid card that might not appeal to the casual fan, but it will provide a lot of insight about the middleweight division and perhaps shed some light on the depth of talent at featherweight.
UFC 297: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Main card (Start time 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV; Key fights in bold, all odds via BetMGM)
• Middleweight championship: Sean Strickland (-135) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (+115)
Strickland (28-5) defends the title he shockingly took from Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September. Du Plessis (20-2) is also coming off a major upset, knocking out former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Strickland has elite boxing skills and a stellar jab, but it is Du Plessis who possesses fight-changing power. There are questions about Du Plessis’ gas tank, but his strength and power could end the fight before we get to that point.
• Women’s bantamweight championship: Raquel Pennington (+145) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (-175)
Pennington (15-8) and Bueno Silva (10-2-1) are facing off for the title vacated by Amanda Nunes, the greatest female fighter in MMA history. Pennington is on a five-fight winning streak and coming off a split-decision victory over Ketlen Vieira. Bueno Silva has won three straight with two ending inside the distance. Bueno Silva is the rightful favorite and has a strength advantage, but Pennington does have a path to victory by staying busy and point fighting.
• Welterweight: Neil Magny (+310) vs. Mike Malott (-400)
• Middleweight: Chris Curtis (-200) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (+165)
• Featherweight: Arnold Allen (+155) vs. Movsar Evloev (-185)
This is the people’s main event. Britain’s Allen (19-2) was on a roll after topping Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Hooker and Calvin Kattar, but he ran into a buzzsaw in all-time great Max Holloway in his last bout, a lopsided five-round decision loss. Allen is looking to rebound agains the undefeated Evloev (17-0), who is riding a streak of decision wins over Nik Lenz, Dan Ige and Diego Lopes. This is definitely a step up in competition for the Russian contender. Allen is a striker with a well-rounded game, and Evloev is an elite grappler. This is a classic contrast of styles.
Prelims (Start time 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
• Bantamweight: Brad Katona (-200) vs. Garrett Armfield (+165)
• Featherweight: Charles Jourdain (-185) vs. Sean Woodson (+155)
• Bantamweight: Serhiy Sidey (-175) vs. Ramon Tavares (+145)
• Women’s strawweight: Gillian Robertson (-250) vs. Polyana Viana (+200)
Early prelims (Start time 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
• Welterweight: Yohan Lainesse (-145) vs. Sam Patterson (+120)
• Women’s flyweight: Jasmine Jasudavicius (-400) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+310)
• Flyweight: Malcolm Gordon (-195) vs. Jimmy Flick (+160)
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