Du Plessis emerged victorious over Strickland to win the championship. Results of UFC 297
Tonight in Toronto, Canada, UFC 297 featured two title bouts. In the main event, American Raquel Pennington faced Brazilian Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt (up to 61.2 kg). The five-round bout ended with Pennington securing victory by unanimous decision from the judges (49-46, 49-46, 49-45).
The highlight of the tournament was the clash between the reigning middleweight champion (up to 83.9 kg), American Sean Strickland, and the challenger from South Africa, Dricus Du Plessis.
Despite the champion’s assurance of an intense bout, he strategically prioritized defense with jabs and constant movement. Du Plessis, starting from the second round, exhibited heightened aggression, enduring a substantial hematoma while consistently staying engaged in the fight. Midway through, the South African took complete control, maintaining dominance over his opponent throughout the entire five rounds.
In a majority decision by the judges (48-47, 47-48, 48-47), Du Plessis emerged as the victor, securing the championship belt from Sean.
Notably, the well-known rapper Drake placed a $700,000 bet on this match, favoring Strickland’s victory with odds of 1.97. Unfortunately for Drake, Du Plessis disrupted his expectations, resulting in bookmakers collecting the rapper’s wagered amount.
Early Preliminary Card:
- Sam Patterson (11-2-1) faced SBM 1 against Johan Lainess (9-3). Patterson emerged victorious with a rear-naked choke in the opening round.
- Jasmine Yasudavichus (11-3) took on SBM 3 versus Priscila Kachoeira (12-6). Yasudavichus secured the win with an anaconda choke in the third round.
- Jimmy Flick (17-7) clashed with SBM 2 against Malcolm Gordon (14-8). Flick came out on top with a second-round triangle choke.
Preliminary Card:
- Garrett Armfield (10-3) faced Brad Katona (13-3) and won by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards).
- Sean Woodson (11-1-1) went up against Charles Jourdain (15-7-1) and secured the victory by judges’ decision (29-28, 28-29, and 29-28).
- Ramon Taveras (10-2) competed against Sergey Sideo (10-2) and emerged victorious in a split decision (29-28, 28-29, and 29-28).
- Jillian Robertson (13-8) faced Poliana Viana (13-7) and won by TKO in the second round.
Main Card:
- Movsar Evloev (18-0) went up against Arnold Allen (19-3) and won by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards).
- Chris Curtis (31-10) faced Marc-Andre Barrio (16-7) and secured the win in a split decision (30-27, 28-29, and 30-27).
- Neil Magny (29-11) fought against Mike Malott (10-2-1) and executed a remarkable comeback, winning by TKO in the third round.
- Raquel Pennington (16-8) competed against Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1) and won by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, and 49-45).
- Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) faced Sean Strickland (28-6) and secured victory by majority decision (48-47, 47-48, and 48-47).
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