UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis took place on Saturday, January 20, 2024 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a double-title card headlined by Dricus du Plessis challenging Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title and Raquel Pennington facing Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women's bantamweight title — the belt vacated by Amanda Nunes's retirement at UFC 289. The card produced an estimated 475,000 pay-per-view buys.
Dricus du Plessis won the middleweight title via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) in a close five-round fight that had Strickland competitive through all five rounds. Du Plessis's wrestling and clinch work were the decisive elements — he scored more takedowns and controlled more top time than Strickland's volume striking could offset. Raquel Pennington won the vacant women's bantamweight title via unanimous decision over Mayra Bueno Silva in the co-main, returning to the division after her 2018 title-shot loss to Amanda Nunes.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024
📍 Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
👥 Attendance: 19,800 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $6.1 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~475,000
🏆 Main Event: Sean Strickland (c) vs. Dricus du Plessis — UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lbs)
✅ Result: Du Plessis def. Strickland via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
🥇 Co-Main: Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva via Unanimous Decision (49-46 ×3) — Vacant Women's Bantamweight Title
The Build-Up
Sean Strickland had won the middleweight title at UFC 293 in Sydney in September 2023. His first title defense was against the man who had beaten Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 and beaten Derek Brunson at UFC 285. Dricus du Plessis entered as 20-2 and the consensus #1 contender. Strickland was a -175 favourite; du Plessis was +140.
The co-main was contested for the vacant women's bantamweight title left open by Amanda Nunes's retirement. Raquel Pennington was 13-8 in MMA with a prior title shot (a TKO loss to Nunes at UFC 224 in May 2018). Mayra Bueno Silva was 10-2 with four consecutive UFC wins. The fight was framed as a new-era bantamweight crowning.
Main Event: Strickland vs. du Plessis
A genuinely close five-round middleweight championship fight. Strickland used his trademark forward pressure and volume striking across rounds one and two; du Plessis used his wrestling and clinch control to score takedowns in rounds two, three, and five. The swing round was round four — Strickland's most dominant striking round of the fight, offset by du Plessis's takedown in round five.
Final scorecards: 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 du Plessis. The 28-29 card for Strickland reflected round four going to the champion clearly. The two 29-28 du Plessis cards reflected the wrestling-control rounds as the decisive factor. Most independent media scorers had it as a genuinely close 48-47 for either fighter. Dricus du Plessis was the UFC middleweight champion.
Du Plessis defended the title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August 2024 (UD win) and Sean Strickland in the rematch at UFC 312 in February 2025 (UD win). He has remained the UFC middleweight champion into mid-2025.
Co-Main Event: Pennington vs. Silva
Raquel Pennington dominated five rounds. She used her pressure striking and her takedown defense to control the standing exchanges throughout. Mayra Bueno Silva's submission game was neutralised by Pennington's takedown defense; Pennington's volume striking was the decisive element on all three judges' cards. Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46. Raquel Pennington was the UFC women's bantamweight champion — six years after her first title shot.
Pennington lost the title to Julianna Pena at Noche UFC in September 2024 (UD loss). Her championship reign lasted approximately eight months.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Dricus du Plessis def. Sean Strickland (c) — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Middleweight Title
Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva — Unanimous Decision (49-46 ×3) — Vacant Women's Bantamweight Title
Arnold Allen def. Movsar Evloev — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Featherweight
Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Middleweight
Serhiy Sidey def. Ramon Taveras — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Bantamweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Stephanie Egger — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Women's Flyweight
Mike Malott def. Yohan Lainesse — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2, 1:52 — Welterweight
Charles Jourdain def. Dooho Choi — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Dricus du Plessis — $50,000 for the split-decision win over Sean Strickland to claim the middleweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Raquel Pennington — $50,000 for the unanimous-decision win over Mayra Bueno Silva to claim the vacant women's bantamweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Mike Malott — $50,000 for the second-round rear-naked choke submission of Yohan Lainesse on home soil in Canada.
Records & Milestones
• Dricus du Plessis — first South African UFC champion in promotion history.
• Strickland's reign lasted approximately four months — one of the shortest middleweight championship reigns of the modern era.
• Raquel Pennington — won the title on her second UFC bantamweight title shot, six years after her first (TKO loss to Nunes at UFC 224 in 2018).
• The first UFC PPV of 2024 — opening a year that would produce Topuria's featherweight title upset, Holloway's BMF KO, and Pereira's title defense run.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 297 is remembered as the night Dricus du Plessis validated his title-shot credentials against the most surprising champion of 2023. The split-decision win — the most contested middleweight championship result of the modern era after Strickland's UFC 293 upset — launched a du Plessis reign that has extended through two successful title defenses as of mid-2025. Du Plessis has defended against Adesanya (UFC 305) and Strickland in the rematch (UFC 312).
For Sean Strickland, the loss closed a four-month championship reign that began with the most shocking title-fight upset of 2023. He lost the rematch to du Plessis at UFC 312 in February 2025 via unanimous decision, cementing the 2-0 du Plessis series. Strickland has remained one of the most entertaining and polarising figures in the middleweight division.
FAQ
Was the du Plessis decision controversial?
Somewhat. The fight was genuinely close — most independent scorers had it as a 48-47 split for either fighter. The key question was how to score du Plessis's wrestling-control rounds against Strickland's striking-volume rounds. Du Plessis's takedowns in rounds two, three, and five gave two judges the nod; Strickland's forward pressure and output won the third judge. A reasonable argument exists for either fighter winning.
Is du Plessis the first South African UFC champion?
Yes. Dricus du Plessis is the first South African-born UFC champion in promotion history. His title win in Toronto was celebrated across the South African MMA community as a historic milestone for African MMA on the world stage.
How does UFC 297 compare to UFC 296?
UFC 297 drew approximately 475,000 PPV buys versus UFC 296 (600,000) five weeks earlier — a 125,000-buy drop reflecting the Canadian market's lower PPV penetration and the absence of a star-power main event on the Pereira or O'Malley level.
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