The “UFC 297” Countdown video shines a spotlight on the first two UFC title fights of 2024, featuring middleweight champion Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis in the main event, and top contenders Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington battling for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt.
Strickland shocked the world in 2023, soundly defeating Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title en route to MMA Fighting’s “Fighter of the Year” award. He defends for the first time when he takes on du Plessis this Saturday in Toronto. The hard-charging du Plessis is 6-0 in the UFC and not only is he the clear-cut No. 1 contender, he and Strickland have built up an ugly rivalry ahead of their championship duel.
In the co-main event, Silva and Pennington seek to bring stability to the 135-pound division by winning a title that has been vacant since the retirement of the legendary Amanda Nunes this past June. Silva has never lost at bantamweight, while Pennington earned her second crack at a UFC title by winning five straight fights.