Thrilling World Championship Bouts Headline UFC Return To Toronto
UFC returns to Toronto with a thrilling world championship doubleheader, headlined by a highly anticipated middleweight championship bout between Sean Strickland and No. 2 ranked contender Dricus Du Plessis. Also, a new women’s bantamweight champion will be crowned when No. 2 ranked contender Raquel Pennington battles Mayra Bueno Silva.
UFC 297: STRICKLAND vs. DU PLESSIS takes place Saturday, January 20 at Scotiabank Arena, with the main card at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Pay-Per-View. The prelims will be available on Sportsnet and TVA Sports at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The early prelims will kick off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on UFC Fight Pass.
UFC 297: STRICKLAND vs. DU PLESSIS tickets will go on sale Friday, November 17 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.ca. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, November 15 at 10 a.m. ET via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, November 16 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
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Strickland (28-5, fighting out of Corona, Calif.) is coming off his stunning UFC middleweight championship win over Israel Adesanya in September. A relentless striker, he also holds wins over Jack Hermansson, Uriah Hall and Brendan Allen. Strickland now intends to secure a successful title defense by becoming the first fighter to defeat Du Plessis in the UFC.
Du Plessis (20-2, fighting out of Pretoria, South Africa) plans to dethrone Strickland by earning his ninth consecutive victory. Unbeaten since 2019, he holds thrilling stoppage wins against Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Darren Till. Du Plessis now looks for another highlight-reel finish to achieve his dream of winning UFC gold.
Former title challenger Pennington (15-8, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo.) plans to stop Bueno Silva to claim the bantamweight belt. Currently riding a five-fight win streak, she holds memorable victories over Macy Chiasson, Miesha Tate and Ketlen Vieira. Pennington now has her sights set on a career-defining performance.
Bueno Silva (10-2-1 1NC, fighting out of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil) hopes to add her name to the list of Brazilian UFC champions. A talented grappler, she has delivered notable submission wins against Lina Lansberg, Stephanie Egger and Mara Romero Borella. Bueno Silva now intends to continue her unbeaten streak by stopping Pennington to take home the title.
Additional bouts on the card include:
No. 13 ranked welterweight contender Neil Magny (28-12, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) looks to halt the momentum of surging Canadian Mike Malott (10-1-1, fighting out of Burlington, Ont.)
A pivotal light heavyweight contenders’ bout will see former champion and No. 4 ranked Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1, fighting out of Warsaw, Poland) rematch No. 5 Aleksandar Rakic (14-3, fighting out of Vienna, Austria)
No. 4 ranked featherweight contender Arnold Allen (19-2, fighting out of Trimley St. Martin, Suffolk, England) squares off with undefeated No. 9 Movsar Evloev (17-0, fighting out of Sunzha, Republic of Ingushetia, Russia)
Former light heavyweight title challenger and current No. 13 ranked contender Dominick Reyes (12-4, fighting out of Victoriaville, California, USA) locks horns with rising Carlos Ulberg (10-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand)
Two-time The Ultimate Fighter winner Brad Katona (15-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Winnipeg, Man.) collides with Garrett Armfield (9-3, fighting out of Kansas City, Missouri, USA) in a bantamweight bout
No. 14 ranked middleweight contender Chris Curtis (30-10 1NC, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA by way of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) takes on heavy-handed Marc-Andre Barriault (16-6 1NC, fighting out of Boca Raton, Florida, USA by way of Gatineau, Que.)
Charles Jourdain (15-6-1, fighting out of Beloeil, Que.) meets Sean Woodson (10-1-1, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) in an exciting featherweight tilt
Dana White’s Contender Series contract winners rematch when Serhiy Sidey (10-1, fighting out of Burlington, Ont.) faces Ramon Taveras (9-2, fighting out of Duval County, Florida, USA) at bantamweight
Submission ace Gillian Robertson (12-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida, USA by way of Niagara Falls, Ont.) meets Polyana Viana (13-6, fighting out of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil) at flyweight
Hometown flyweight Malcolm Gordon (14-7, fighting out of Toronto, Ont.) takes on Jimmy Flick (16-6, fighting out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA)
Yohan Lainesse (9-2, fighting out of St-Bruno, Que.) meets Sam Patterson (10-2-1, fighting out of Watford, England) in a battle of welterweight Dana White’s Contender Series signees
