The Middleweight title is on the line for the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2024. Sean Strickland will take the octagon in his first title defense since defeating Israel Adesanya in September. The opponent, Dricus Du Plessis, will try to become the first South-African born champion in UFC history. In the co-main event of the evening, rising contender Mayra Bueno Silva will take on long-time contender Raquel Pennington for the vacant Women’s Bantamweight title. Toronto, Canada is in for an exciting night of fights inside the Scotiabank arena on Saturday night. A breakdown of the main card below:
The UFC 297 main card opens up with a featured bout between two of the best competitors in the featherweight division. Arnold Allen’s only fight in 2023 was a loss against former champion, Max Holloway. Before the loss to Holloway, Allen was on a five fight win-streak, with wins over Calvin Kattar and Dan Hooker. On the opposing side of Allen this weekend, is undefeated phenom, Movsar Evloev. Evloev boasts an impressive record with seventeen wins and no losses. He hasn’t faced the same level of competition Allen has faced, which is a key aspect to look at in this matchup. This is one of the best fights on the whole card.
Official Prediction: Arnold Allen by unanimous decision
Each time Mike Mallot steps inside the UFC octagon, something special happens. To have watched the rise of Mallot in the promotion since he came in has been a privilege. On Saturday night, he’ll have the biggest fight of his career to date. He’ll take on UFC veteran, Neil Magny. Magny has competed in a total of thirty-one fights in the UFC, and he’s never missed weight before. He’s also 2-3 in his last five fights. Mallott on the other hand, has finished all three of his fights in the UFC. Two have come by way of submission, and the other by KO/TKO. Two of Magny’s last three losses have also been by submission.
Official Prediction: Mike Mallott by submission
In the co-main event on Saturday night, Raquel Pennington will take on Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant Women’s Bantamweight title. This will be the first title fight in the division since July of 2016 that won’t involve Amanda Nunes. Nunes’ title run ended in June of 2023, after she defeated Irene Aldana and made the decision to retire from the sport. This will be Pennington’s redemption at UFC gold.
The challenger had competed against Nunes in 2018 for the title, and lost by KO/TKO. She now is on a five fight win-streak, and hasn’t lost a fight since 2020. Pennington however, has just as tough of a matchup as she did in 2018. She takes on rising contender, Mayra Bueno Silva. Silva is 3-0-1 in her last four fights, with two of those wins coming by submission. Silva is favorited in this matchup. An underdog bet on the more experienced Pennington wouldn’t be an awful gamble to take.
Official Prediction: Raquel Pennington by decision
The first title fight main-event of 2024 features a brawl between two of the best middleweights on the planet. Sean Strickland will make his first title defense against Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland is attempting to get through a tough fight in Du Plessis, to remain the champion. Du Plessis will be stepping into the octagon on Saturday night with one intention. That is to become the first South-African born champion in UFC history. Both men are trying to achieve greatness, and when greatness is on the line, stars come out to shine. Strickland and Du Plessis are both pressure forward fighters who are comfortable with trading shots. It’s tough seeing this fight go into the championship rounds.
Official Prediction: Sean Strickland by KO/TKO
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