UFC is headed to Canada for its first pay-per-view card of the new year. UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis are on the marquee. The feud has quickly unraveled into chaos and comes to a head at UFC 297 in Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre on Jan. 20.
Strickland vs. du Plessis seemed incident-free upon its announcement. That all changed at a press conference held during UFC 296 fight week. The headliners got into a tasteless back-and-forth evoking homophobic slurs and banter about child abuse. The bad blood boiled over at UFC 296 when Strickland and Du Plessis brawled in the crowd.
Overshadowed by the drama is UFC 297’s second title fight. Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva compete for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight championship. The title was vacated after former two-division champion Amanda Nunes retired following a successful title defense against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in another major Canadian city, Vancouver. Canadians competing at UFC 297 include rising welterweight Mike Malott, two-time “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Brad Katona, Marc-Andre Barriault and Charles Jourdain.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 297 along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 297 fight card, odds
- Sean Strickland (c) -125 vs. Dricus du Plessis +105, middleweight title
- Mayra Bueno Silva -160 vs. Raquel Pennington +135, women’s bantamweight title
- Mike Malott -250 vs. Neil Magny +205, welterweights
- Chris Curtis -160 vs. Marc-Andre Barriault +135, middleweights
- Movsar Evloev -170 vs. Arnold Allen +145, featherweights
- Brad Katona -180 vs. Garrett Armfield +155, bantamweights
- Charles Jourdain -180 vs. Sean Woodsen +155, featherweights
- Serhiy Sidey -190 vs. Ramon Taveras +160, bantamweights
- Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana, women’s strawweights
- Yohan Lainesse -125 vs. Sam Patterson +105, welterweights
- Jasmine Jasudavicius -360 vs. Priscila Cachoeira +280, women’s flyweights
- Malcolm Gordon -115 vs. Jimmy Flick +105, flyweights
UFC 297 info
- Date: Jan. 20
- Location: Scotiabank Arena — Toronto
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
