UFC CEO Dana White recently announced a series of title bouts for early 2024, including Sean Strickland defending his middleweight belt against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297, Alexander Volkanovski returning to featherweight to fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, and Sean O’Malley rematching Marlon Vera at UFC 299.
The UFC’s first quarter schedule for 2024 is starting to come together, with UFC CEO Dana White announcing a trio of title bouts on social media. The action kicks off in January at UFC 297 where middleweight champion Sean Strickland will defend his belt against Dricus du Plessis in Toronto. Strickland, who captured the belt in a stunning upset against Israel Adesanya, now faces the South African contender who impressed with a dominant stoppage win over former champ Robert Whittaker.
In February at UFC 298, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will return to the 145-pound category to take on Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski suffered a defeat against Islam Makhachev in his attempt to win a second division title, but remains undefeated in his other 13 UFC appearances. Topuria, on the other hand, has won six straight bouts in his octagon career, including a recent decision over Josh Emmett.
The third title bout takes place in March at UFC 299, where bantamweight king Sean O’Malley will face Marlon Vera in a rematch. O’Malley, who secured his first title defense with an impressive knockout of Aljamain Sterling, looks to avenge his only professional MMA loss against Vera, who earned a first-round TKO over O’Malley in 2020. Vera has since built a 5-2 UFC record, with wins over notable fighters such as Rob Font and Frankie Edgar.
While the dates, locations, and venues for UFC 298 and UFC 299 have yet to be announced, fans eagerly anticipate these exciting matchups. In addition to the championship fights, UFC 297 also features a women’s bantamweight title bout between Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington. The newly announced fights have sparked interest among fans, who are now left to deliberate on which matchup captures their attention the most.
Vote Now:
– Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
– Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria
– Sean O’Malley vs. Chito Vera 2
The UFC’s first quarter of 2024 promises to be thrilling, as these title bouts showcase the talent and determination of the fighters. Fans eagerly await further details and the official announcement of the dates and venues for these highly anticipated events.