Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis will headline UFC 297
The UFC has booked a middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis to headline UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 20, 2024. UFC CEO Dana White announced the news on Twitter Monday.
The fight will be Strickland’s first attempt at defending the middleweight title after taking the belt off Israel Adesanya in a historic upset at UFC 293.
Strickland was in a unique position where several challengers had cases to fight for the title. At UFC 290, Du Plessis defeated Robert Whittaker to cement an eventual bid. At UFC 294, Khamzat Chimaev beat Kamaru Usman in a bout that was ruled a title eliminator. Plus, a rematch with Adesanya was briefly discussed. At the end of the day, Du Plessis was the fighter to get the call.
It is entirely possible Du Plessis was the only middleweight able to compete on Jan. 20. Chimaev suffered a hand injury against Usman and Adesanya stated he plans on taking a break from MMA.
Regardless of his opponent, Strickland’s first title defense will be crucial to his legacy. If he can defend the belt, his championship status is legitimized. If he does not, his title victory will be merely looked at as an upset. Fair or not, that is the reality of the situation.
As for Du Plessis, he has fully transformed from a contender to a title challenger. At 29-years-old, the future will be bright if he can defeat Strickland.
UFC 297 will also feature a women’s bantamweight title fight between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva in the co-main event slot. Ranked featherweights Arnold Allen and Movsar Evloev will also compete at the event.
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