Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis are set to fight in the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto for the UFC middleweight championship, while the co-main event features a match for the vacant women’s bantamweight championship between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva.
Strickland and du Plessis are done with the chatter. They’re itching to get into the ring. The UFC 297 main event is set to be a showdown between these two. It’s happening this Saturday night in Toronto. The prize? The UFC middleweight championship.
The build-up to this fight has been a wild ride. Personal trash talk, a skirmish in the crowd at UFC 296, and even some polite exchanges during fight week. All part of the journey to this moment. The headliners had their final face-off. Strickland didn’t even step on the scale. Du Plessis had to be restrained. This happened at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins. It was their last chance to share thoughts on the match-up.
Du Plessis didn’t have much to say about the outcome. “I ain’t got no predictions,” he said. But he did have a warning. “Like they say, be careful what you wish for. He asked for death. Your wish has been granted, my friend.”
Strickland, on the other hand, was surprised he was even allowed to speak. “I’m just surprised that Canada let me f****** have a microphone,” he said. His message was clear. “But [we’re going] to f****** war for you guys. Let’s go f****** Canada.”
But it’s not just the main event that’s causing a stir. The co-main event is also heating up. The vacant women’s bantamweight championship is up for grabs. Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva are the contenders. After a fiery final faceoff, both women promised their best to UFC lead commentator Jon Anik.
“Tomorrow night, I promise, I will give it [my] all to you guys,” Bueno Silva said. Pennington had a question for the Toronto crowd. “Are you guys ready for a show?” she asked.