South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis emerged victorious as the new UFC middleweight champion, securing a split decision win over Sean Strickland in an intense main event at UFC 297 in Ontario, Canada.
In an epic battle, du Plessis showcased resilience and a diverse offensive strategy to dethrone Strickland, who displayed superb boxing skills but couldn’t halt the challenger’s relentless aggression. Strickland initially controlled the first round with effective jabs, but du Plessis turned the tide with takedowns and striking in subsequent rounds, even causing a nasty cut above Strickland’s eye.
The match went the distance, with both fighters delivering a flurry of strikes in the final round, ultimately leading to du Plessis’ victory by split decision. Celebrating his triumph, du Plessis expressed his confidence in going the full five rounds, proving his capabilities as a five-round fighter.
Co-main event: Raquel Pennington Secures Women’s Bantamweight Title
In the co-main event, ‘Rocky’ Raquel Pennington claimed the women’s bantamweight championship with a gritty performance against Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington, overcoming past challenges, won via unanimous decision in a hard-fought five-round battle.
Other Main Card Highlights
- Neil Magny secured a third-round TKO victory over Mike Malott in their welterweight clash.
- Chris Curtis earned a split decision win against Marc-Andre Barriault in the middleweight division.
- Movsar Evloev outpointed Arnold Allen over three rounds in their featherweight bout.
Upcoming UFC Event
The next UFC event is set to be a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on Sunday, February 4, featuring a middleweight clash between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov.
UFC 297 Main Card Results:
- Main Event: Dricus du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via split decision (47-48 48-47 48-47), R5, 5:00
- Co-Main: Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (49-46 49-46 49-45), R5, 5:00
- Welterweight: Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via TKO (punches), R3, 4:45
- Middleweight: Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27), R3, 5:00
- Featherweight: Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
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