Jump to
UFC 297 is here to kick off the promotion’s first PPV of the year and they’re doing it in Ontario, Canada. While the main card has an almost weird vibe, it’s a very good lineup of fights. The top two contests are title bouts, but both belts on the line are from two of the three weakest divisions, the third being heavyweight.
UFC 287 main and co-main event points
In the main event, we get Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis battling for middleweight supremacy. The two have been seemingly at odds for the last couple months, with Strickland even attacking his future opponent at UFC 296. Sean has gone on to do interviews where his emotional meter has bounced from sobbing during an interview all the way to threatening to stab Du Plessis if he ever spoke about his childhood again.
But one has to wonder how much of Strickland’s outbursts are performative because UFC caught footage of him and Dricus at the fighter hotel this week and it shows Sean and Dricus shake hands and even embrace. Sean thanks the South African for “being understanding.” Seems a far cry from “I’ll stab you” but who am I to determine what lies in the hearts of men. Just have a look for yourself in this Embedded video.
In the co-main event, we get Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington competing for the vacant women’s bantamweight title. After Amanda Nunes retired last year, the belt has been waiting for someone to claim it. Saturday is when we’ll get an answer on who will claim that gold. Unfortunately, it’s a fight that most people don’t seem to care about and with good reason.
Pennington has always been a tough out, of that, there is no question, but the delivery of said toughness comes with a healthy does of tedium. For reference, Raquel has only had two finishes in the last nine years. In that same time frame, she was only finished once, when she faced Amanda Nunes for the belt. She was stopped via TKO but in the fifth round. Bueno Silva claims that she will make the fight exciting but many women have said the same only to end up in a grueling battle that people complain about for the next week.
UFC 297 Main Card
The other three fights on the main portion are fine but don’t really stand out as anything particularly special. Just good, solid fights with potential for upward movement through or into the rankings. Let’s have a look at what we’re working with:
- Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis 185 lbs
- Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva 135 lbs
- Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott 170 lbs
- Chris Curtis vs. M. Barriault 185 lbs
- Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev 145 lbs
Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 84 main card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.
Start date and time
UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis takes place on January 20th, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The early preliminary card begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the regular prelims kicking off at 8 p.m. ET.
Tickets
If you just so happen to be out in Nevada and want to witness UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis live, you can purchase tickets by clicking here.
PPV price and Live streams
UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 291 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription. The event is scheduled to start live at 10:00am ET, 7:00am PT, with the prelims on the ESPN+ streaming platform in the US, as well as Fight Pass. The PPV main card is to kick off at 2:00pm ET, 11:00am PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.
Follow us as @BloodyElbow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.