Strickland vs. du Plessis: UFC 297 Results, Highlights, and Analysis
Dricus du Plessis Wins by Split Decision
An extremely competitive bout ended by split decision, as Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland to crown himself the new UFC middleweight champion.
Du Plessis (21-2) had an advantage in the second, third, and fourth rounds. This was the first five-round bout of his career, but he adjusted after a difficult first round to get the better of Strickland (28-5).
Strickland’s jab was phenomenal. It was not out of the question that he could have been awarded the bout by the judges, but du Plessis’ success with takedowns was a significant difference.
The opening round was tense and competitive. Strickland had plenty of success with his jab, constantly making contact. Du Plessis landed two takedowns but only had 19 seconds of control time. His head kick proved to be a real threat, but Strickland had the edge in the opening five minutes.
Strickland continued to land his jab in the second round, to the point where there was significant swelling under du Plessis’ left eye. But du Plessis landed another takedown, his third in four attempts, and began to have success with his striking.
The third round was important for du Plessis, as he continued to push the action. Strickland is extremely dangerous when pressing forward, which du Plessis prevented. Du Plessis continued to get closer and closer to landing a big, heavy shot, but it did not happen in the third.
For the first time in his career, du Plessis entered the fourth round of a fight. Strickland found success with his right hand in the first 90 seconds of the round, but he was also covered in blood from a vicious shot from du Plessis. Another takedown from du Plessis played in the favor of the challenger, and he finally started landing his right hand on the left side of Strickland’s face. Du Plessis then landed his fifth and sixth takedown of the fight, and began controlling Strickland.
Strickland started the fifth round with purpose and precision. The technical fight went down to the final minute, and a very close bout went into the hands of the judges.
The Dricus du Plessis era has begun, and it is only a matter of time before he meets former champion Israel Adesanya in the cage.
Raquel Pennington wins vacant women’s bantamweight title
Raquel Pennington is the new women’s bantamweight champion.
She won the vacant title with a tenacious victory against Mayra Bueno Silva, who looked elite for two rounds before gassing out.
Bueno Silva (10-3-1, 1 NC) was exhausted by the third round. It was only the second time in her career she fought into the fifth round, and the well-seasoned Pennington capitalized on that lack of experience.
This was the first title shot for Pennington (16-8) since 2018, which is when she lost to Amanda Nunes. Had she lost tonight, it would have been her last shot, too. But the win rewrites her narrative in the sport.
Pennington had moments where her striking looked dominant, especially when she was landing in the second round, but she made a costly mistake when she veered away from that strategy. But Pennington’s cardio kept her alive in the championship rounds, while Bueno Silva had trouble getting off the mat in the final 10 minutes.
This was not the most exciting fight, and it served a reminder of how missed Amanda Nunes is in the cage. But Pennington now rules the division, and her first challenger for the belt will be Julianna Peña.
Neil Magny Pulls Off Massive Upset
Neil Magny delivered a signature performance at UFC 297, defeating Mike Malott after losing the first two rounds.
Magny (29-11) was widely expected to lose this bout. But Malott ran out of gas in the third, and Magny capitalized with a TKO victory. A late-round takedown put Malott (10-2-1) in a precarious position, and Magny just pounded him until the referee intervened with 15 seconds remaining.
This is a major blow to Malott, but it shows why Magny remains such a valuable gatekeeper for the welterweight division.
Chris Curtis Defeats Marc-André Barriault
Chris Curtis will keep his spot in the top 15.
Ranked 14th in the middleweight division, Curtis defeated Marc-André Barriault by split decision.
The crowd in Toronto voiced its displeasure with this bout, but it certainly was not due to a lack of effort from the fighters. The fight picked up considerably over the final five minutes, when both Barriault and Curtis started to land. But Curtis (31-10, 1 NC) was better in the first two rounds, which effectively won him the fight.
Barriault (16-7, 1 NC) fought hard, but did not use his cardio as a weapon. The loss will keep him out of the top 15 rankings, even more frustrating because this was a winnable bout.
Movsar Evloev Stays Undefeated
Movsar Evloev defeated Arnold Allen by unanimous decision, employing a disciplined approach to remain undefeated.
This was a battle of featherweights headed in two different directions. Evloev (18-0) moves a step closer toward a title bout, while Allen (19-3) has now lost two in a row.
Evloev preferred to wrestle, but he landed a heavy, step-in jab that busted open the left side of Allen’s face in the second round. He was significantly better than Allen in the closing minutes of the first two rounds, forcing Allen to press for a finish in the third.
The victory puts Evloev right in the mix for the winner of next month’s Alexander Volkanovski-Ilia Topuria title bout.
The Dricus du Plessis era is ready to begin.
But first, he needs to defeat Sean Strickland to become UFC middleweight champion.
A year ago, that would have seemed like an outlandish concept. Yet Strickland recovered from back-to-back losses to win three fights in 2023, including the performance of his life in September when he beat Israel Adesanya.
Now Strickland finds himself in unusual territory as the hunted. His first title defense comes against du Plessis, a versatile powerhouse who appeared destined to have a showdown against Israel Adesanya. Instead it is Strickland who stands across from him in the UFC 297 main event, as du Plessis seeks to redefine the division as the undisputed champion.
The vacant women’s bantamweight title is also on the line. Raquel Pennington gets her first crack at the belt since she was bludgeoned six years ago in a title bout by Amanda Nunes. Pennington has a new challenge in front of her with Mayra Bueno Silva, who has looked unstoppable in her past four fights.
The upset of the night looks to be in the opening bout of the pay-per-view, as Arnold Allen seeks to regain his momentum in a fight against the undefeated Movsar Evloev. The main card is filled out by Chris Curtis against Marc-André Barriault in a middleweight bout, and Mike Malott against welterweight division gatekeeper Neil Magny.
Fairly quietly, UFC 297 offers a surprisingly compelling night of fights, with none more captivating than the Strickland-du Plessis main event.
