Dricus Du Plessis took the middleweight title from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 on Saturday, beating the controversial American via split decision.

Strickland won the belt from Israel Adesanya in September, in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, but his first defence was an unsuccessful one.

Du Plessis entered the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of former champion Robert Whittaker last July, and although the South African failed to replicate that explosive performance, he just did enough to emerge victorious.

After five rounds, the judges’ scorecards read 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 in favour of Du Plessis, though the result could easily have gone the other way.

In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington beat Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision to win the vacant women’s bantamweight title. Re-live updates and see all the results from UFC 297 below.

UFC 297 LIVE

• Dricus Du Plessis wins split decision to take middleweight title from Sean Strickland

• Raquel Pennington beats Mayra Bueno Silva for vacant women’s bantamweight title

• Neil Magny produces stunning comeback with 15 seconds left

• Chris Curtis heaps more misery on Canadian fans in Toronto

• Britain’s Arnold Allen comes up short against Movsar Evloev

• Plus full prelim results from UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

09:14 , Kieran Jackson

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

09:00 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

08:45 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

08:30 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

08:15 , Alex Pattle

Here’s our UFC 297 report in full:

Sean Strickland drops middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

08:00 , Alex Pattle

Here’s what UFC president Dana White had to say about the scoring of the main event:

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

07:45 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

07:30 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

07:15 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

07:04 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

07:00 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:53 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:43 , Alex Pattle

Du Plessis calls out Israel Adesanya – also as expected!

“There’s a man who tried to take my shine, he lost his shine, now I’ve got his shine.

“You didn’t get in the cage tonight, but Israel Adesanya, get your ass back in the UFC so we can settle the score.”

The arena is playing Drake, who just lost £700,000 on this result.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:42 , Alex Pattle

It’s hard to report much of what Strickland is saying, as the broadcast keeps censoring him – as expected.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:41 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:41 , Alex Pattle

Du Plessis pays a lot of respect to Strickland, who loses the middleweight title in his first defence.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:37 , Alex Pattle

AND NEW! DRICUS DU PLESSIS GETS THE SPLIT DECISION!

48-47 on all three scorecards – two in favour of Du Plessis, one for Strickland!

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:36 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:34 , Alex Pattle

Round five

A right overhand just about lands for Du Plessis. He tries for a takedown, but Strickland sprawls.

Strickland is landing jabs and crosses but without much power. Again Strickland denies Du Plessis a takedown.

Strickland sees a couple of big right hands blocked, but Du Plessis might have felt those anyway.

Good body kick by DDP. More right hand attempts by Strickland.

DDP with one of his own. Strickland again! And a knee to the body!

A wild end to the fight!

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:31 , Alex Pattle

Round five

A touch of gloves. Strickland catches a body kick, then Du Plessis misses with a spinning back elbow.

Du Plessis catches Strickland on the end of a cross. Stern jab by the challenger now.

One-two lands for Strickland. Du Plessis is struggling to land right now.

Low kick by the South African, who sees a head kick blocked right after.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:29 , Alex Pattle

Indy Sport has it two rounds apiece. This final frame could decide it.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:28 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Strickland stands against the fence, and the middleweights separate. Clean cross by DDP!

Strickland’s face is COVERED in blood. Head kick just about lands for Du Plessis.

Another takedown for Du Plessis! He essentially lands a German suplex on Strickland after the champion briefly stands.

Again Strickland escapes and stands, though. Nice rear uppercut by Du Plessis, who then kicks low.

Stiff jab by Strickland. Du Plessis misses with a wide right hook. Jab and right hook by Strickland!

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:25 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Du Plessis calls on the crowd to get going. He has never been in a fourth round until now!

His corner wants a takedown. Good cross from Strickland!

Du Plessis has cut Strickland with a cross, it seems... Nice cross from Strickland again.

Heavy body kick by Du Plessis. More right hands on point for Strickland.

There’s the takedown by Du Plessis!

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:22 , Alex Pattle

Round three

This is a really good round for Du Plessis, who might have narrowly lost the second and seemed to comfortably lose the first.

He lands an overhand left, but Strickland absorbs it well. Strickland needs more activity at the moment.

Decent right hook by Strickland, and again. That was a bit of a messy exchange. Du Plessis telegraphs a high kick and misses.

Strickland with a big left hook on the buzzer!

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:19 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Du Plessis’s left eye is almost completely swollen shut... That could be a factor over the next round or so...

Good head kick by Du Plessis! He then misses with a follow-up left hook. Front kick to the body by Strickland, and a jab up top.

Hard outside low kick from the challenger. Good jab. Now a body kick. Du Plessis is really pressing the action.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:16 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Both men kick low. Du Plessis is wide of the mark with an overhand right. Strickand is so good at checking low kicks.

Wild left hook misses for Du Plessis upstairs, but he lands a shot to the body.

Nice, short right crosses from Strickland to keep Du Plessis at bay. Du Plessis is getting closer with his overhand right...

Beautiful single-leg by Du Plessis! He gets Strickland down against the fence, but the American stands before long.

The middleweights move back into the open, where Du Plessis lands a double-jab and left hook from southpaw.

His face is increasingly swollen, though.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:13 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Light-heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, who knocked out Strickland in 2022, is in the American’s corner!

“Let’s go, Strickland,” chants the crowd. Both men land jabs. Spinning back fist from Du Plessis.

Teep kick to the gut by Strickland. Du Plessis stumbles off balance while circling to the left.

Brilliant jab by Strickland. Du Plessis misses with a spinning back fist. He switches stances back and forth.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:10 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Du Plessis is already sporting a cut on his nose. He just misses with a cross from southpaw. More laser jabs by Strickland.

Du Plessis with a wild overhand right; Strickland backs up and leans away to evade. Winging right hook by Du Plessis is just off target.

Du Plessis shoots for a double-leg and drives the champion all the way to the fence, where he dumps down Strickland.

Strickland stands, but he’s dragged down again. He stands again, and Du Plessis backs off.

Du Plessis’s right eye is showing signs of bruising. A high kick nearly lands for the South African.

Big right hand by Strickland, just before the buzzer!

Good signs from Du Plessis, but Strickland’s jab was the difference in that round.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:07 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Both men stand orthodox. Strickland flicks out some jabs, now a front kick to the body.

Low kick by Strickland. Du Plessis goes southpaw, then switches back. Another front kick by Strickland, but it’s off target.

His jabs are working nicely, though. Du Plessis tries to get his own jab going. Another lands for Strickland, and a front kick.

Du Plessis spins but doesn’t follow up with a strike. Hard body kick by the challenger, however.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

06:04 , Alex Pattle

Strickland, 32, has a pro record of 28-5 (11 KO/TKOs, 4 submissions, 13 decisions).

Du Plessis, 30, is 20-2 with 19 finishes (9 KO/TKOs, 10 submissions, 1 decision).

HERE WE GO!

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

05:57 , Alex Pattle

Lots of boos for Du Plessis as he makes his walk. He looks confident and relaxed, though.

Rapper Drake has placed a £700,000 bet on Strickland to win tonight...

Here comes the champion. He looks a little nervous, but he looked terrified before producing an all-time great upset to beat Adesanya.

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

05:55 , Alex Pattle

And here’s Strickland recounting his brawl with Du Plessis, and even admitting to biting the South African:

UFC champion admits to biting challenger in ringside brawl

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

05:54 , Alex Pattle

Strickland had some pretty choice words for women’s MMA and the LGBTQ community this week.

Here’s what he had to say, in a moment that drew a lot of criticism:

Sean Strickland launches derisive attack on women’s MMA ahead of UFC 297

UFC 297 LIVE: Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis

05:52 , Alex Pattle

Time for the main event. Sean Strickland defends the middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis.

Strickland won the middleweight title with a seismic upset of Israel Adesanya in September, and now the controversial American makes his first defence of the belt. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Du Plessis enters the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of ex-champion Robert Whittaker in July.

Strickland and Du Plessis have fought each other before, in a sense, having brawled in the crowd at UFC 296 in December, and fans are expecting a scrappy contest this evening.

This one could be wild.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:46 , Alex Pattle

Pennington says it’s “surreal” to be standing there with the belt around her waist.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:45 , Alex Pattle

Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45).

The title is vacant no longer! Pennington is a champion on her second attempt!

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:42 , Alex Pattle

Round five

Pennington eventually gives up on the choke and throws some more punches.

She stands, and Silva is just lying on her back, doing nothing, with her hands behind her head.

The buzzer sounds. An awful visual on which to end the fight for Silva.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:40 , Alex Pattle

Round five

Sharp jabs by Pennington. Silva is tired. This fight is Pennington’s for the taking – the title is hers for the taking.

But she closes range again, when she was succeeding at range...

Still, she secures a takedown and is in half-guard. Now she’s into mount, working on an arm-triangle...

Silva gives the referee a thumbs-up... Pennington would have an easier job finishing this from side mount, but she seemingly doesn’t want to give up her regular mount.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:35 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Silva overcommits with her weight and slips off. Pennington ends up in the Brazilian’s guard, raining down punches.

Silva is thinking about an armbar... now a triangle choke... Hard hammer fists by Pennington, though!

More hard strikes from the American! She had a tough start in this fight but has gradually taken over, for the most part.

One round to go.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:33 , Alex Pattle

Round four

Into the championship rounds. Pennington with a hard shot to start the fourth frame!

She closes range again and grapples Silva against the fence. The crowd boos heavily.

Silva with some nice elbows, and she reverses the position. She’s got one hook, with her right leg, as she looks for a trip.

She manages to take the back and drag down Pennington, and she’s going for the rear naked choke again!

Once more, Pennington has her chin in, so she’s surviving for now...

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:29 , Alex Pattle

Round three

A good spell for Silva, who lands a series of effective elbows.

Pennington defends a takedown and ends up in half-guard, working on a guillotine...

It’s not quite available, and Pennington stands, kicking the legs of Silva.

The referee asks Silva to stand. She looks exhausted. Another clinch, and each fighter buries hooks into the body of the other.

Pennington with a takedown, and she’s in closed guard. Good strikes from on top.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:27 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Hard outside low kick by Silva. She grabs Pennington and forces her back to the fence. Knees to the body by Silva.

Pennington reverses the position, but Silva then does the same. Pennington with a series of knees to the leg of Silva.

Silva with a knee to the body. Pennington goes for a trip, but Silva does a good job of regaining her balance. Now the Brazilian tries for a D’Arce!

But it’s on the chin, and Pennington is able to slip out.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:23 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Good spell from Pennington! She stuns Silva with a couple of right hands, then chases her and lands an elbow!

She’s smothering Silva, though! Why is she grappling??

Silva is able to get the better of the exchange, slipping behind and taking the back!

She’s hanging off Pennington and trying for a rear naked choke! She’s only got it on the chin, however, and she soon gives up.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:21 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Good calf kick from Silva. Pennington lands a series of jabs. Silva closes range and grapples Pennington against the fence, to the sound of boos.

Pennington is able to create some space and get off some more good shots, but Silva grabs another Thai clinch and fires off elbows and body punches.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:17 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Silva takes the back with ease! She’s working on a rear naked choke. Pennington is fighting the hands. She stands.

Eventually Silva gives up on the choke, but the Brazilian is able to drag down the American.

Good punches from behind by Silva, who then tries for the rear naked choke.

Pennington survives to the buzzer.

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:14 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Both fighters stand orthodox. Silva kicks low, Pennington with a flurry of punches upstairs, then a body kick.

Silva goes southpaw. Pennington grabs a single-leg and forces Silva back to the fence. Silva is able to neutralise her, as the pair clinch.

Pennington holds Silva against the cage. Nice elbows from Silva. Silva reverses the position and gets a takedown!

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:09 , Alex Pattle

Five five-minute rounds scheduled here. Let’s go!

UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

05:01 , Alex Pattle

Time for the co-main event!

Former title challenger Raquel Pennington faces Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt.

Fighting icon Amanda Nunes relinquished the title last summer, when she retired from MMA.

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:55 , Alex Pattle

Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via third-round TKO (ground strikes, 4:45).

Unbelievable. Honestly. Magny did almost nothing for 14 minutes, then suddenly turned the tide completely in the final minute or so.

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:53 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Malott isn’t able to advance the position or do much damage from Magny’s guard.

A scramble eventually seems Magny stand, and he’s able to get his own takedown!

He dumps down Malott and rains down some punches, and Malott tries a leg lock.

Magny ends up mounting him, flattening him out and landing hard punches! Thirty seconds left!

No defence from Malott! Surely Magny isn’t going to do this...

HE DOES! HE GETS THE TKO! In the final 15 seconds, almost out of NOWHERE!

What just happened?!

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:50 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Malott with a takedown early in the final round! He briefly tries a guillotine but gives up, and Magny stands against the cage.

Malott gets a single-leg and eventually dumps Magny to the mat. Malott straight into Magny’s full guard.

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:47 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Magny scrambles and is able to stand, but Malott soon gets a body lock and takes down Magny against the cage! A heavy landing for the veteran.

Again Malott is in half-guard. He writhes free and stands, before diving into side mount, then mount!

Good elbows from above to end the round.

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:43 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Malott’s corner is confident that he’s hurt the lead leg of Magny.

Big one-two from Malott! Magny comes forward with a trio of straight punches but misses.

Decent push kick to the body by Magny. Hard body kick by Malott, who then lands a takedown and is straight into half-guard.

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:39 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Malott presses forward early. Hard outside low kick from him. Now Magny comes forward. Malott misses with a Superman punch and a high kick.

“F*** you, Magny,” is the chant from the crowd...

Malott closes range, and Magny gets a body lock, but he’s unable to do much with it.

The fighters separate, and Malott kicks low again. And again, hard!

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:32 , Alex Pattle

Great reaction for Malott! Canadian men are 0-6 on this card, can he buck that trend?

UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott

04:23 , Alex Pattle

Next up, we head to the welterweight division, where veteran Neil Magny fights Canada’s Mike Malott.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:22 , Alex Pattle

Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27).

I’d have gone the other way. Those 30-27s are surprising, for sure...

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:19 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Barriault has increased the tempo in this final round. He’s sporting a cut to the face but seems unperturbed.

Brutal fighting at close range now! Knees in close!

The final buzzer sounds.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:17 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Sharp jab by Barriault, then a cross, but he steps onto a body hook by Curtis.

Body kick and a jab upstairs by Barriault. Hard body shots by both men.

Curtis tries a combination of punches but sees most of the shots blocked.

Good counter overhand by Curtis, uppercut from Barriault, elbow by Curtis. The crowd is briefly buoyed.

Sharp elbows from both men at close range! Good uppercuts from Barriault in close, too.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:13 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Curtis is largely trying to box over the top of Barriault’s kicks.

Barriault partially lands a knee. Good jab from the Canadian now, too, and a couple of body kicks.

Nice cross by Curtis, but he’s getting backed up and eats another body kick.

Curtis with a few hook attempts, as he tries to deter Barriault, who is building some momentum here.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:10 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Decent cross for Curtis. Body kick by Barriault. The middleweights trade low kicks.

Barriault with a decent uppercut, and Curtis responds in kind. The action is ticking along, but the crowd is still restless.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:06 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Barriault kicks high again, landing to the lat of Curtis, who fires back with a counter hook.

The crowd is growing a bit restless. Curtis taunts Barriault, before unloading a right and left hand to the body.

Decent front kick by Barriault. Curtis just about lands a right hook. Barriault with a teasing uppercut.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

04:04 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Curtis stands southpaw, Barriault is orthodox. Curtis presses forward, feinting jabs. Barriault misses with a lazy front kick.

Hard outside low kick by Curtis. And again. One more. Barriault kicks high, landing to the elbow of Curtis, who raises his guard.

Now Barriault kicks low, to the inside of Curtis’s lead leg. A jab is just wide of the mark for Barriault.

UFC 297 LIVE: Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault

03:54 , Alex Pattle

We head to the middleweight division, in a nice appetiser for tonight’s main event, as Chris Curtis takes on Canada’s own Marc-Andre Barriault.

American Curtis emerges to the walkout music of WWE legend Edge!

Here we go, three five-minute rounds scheduled.

UFC 297 LIVE: Frankie Edgar inducted into Hall of Fame

03:49 , Alex Pattle

Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is announced as the first entrant in this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class!

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:44 , Alex Pattle

Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Probably the right call, although the fight was much closer than the commentary team suggested; they were very pro-Evloev, but Allen arguably even knicked that one.

Lots of respect between the fighters, which is nice to see.

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:41 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Allen with a rangey jab and a cross to the body. Evloev tries for a single-leg again, but once more Allen defends well.

Hard knee by Evloev! Allen is stalking him. Lots of blood around Evloev’s left eye, but it could be from Allen’s prior cut.

Body kick by Evloev. Allen with a straight to the body. And again.

Evloev with a single-leg attempt, and Allen defends with a D’Arce attempt! Evloev spins out of it!

A scramble ensues. Allen stands, but Evloev is hanging onto him from behind.

Good back elbows from Allen, while Evloev knees him in the leg.

We’ll go to the scorecards.

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:38 , Alex Pattle

Round three

Allen loads up on a left hand but misses. A front kick just about lands for Evloev.

Great combination for Allen! He ends it with a low kick, but he stung Evloev upstairs! Very quick.

Allen leans off the centre line and misses with a counter uppercut. Decent jab by Evloev.

Allen defends a double-leg and goes for a guillotine. Instead he holds Evloev and lands a few hard knees, but Evloev is leaning down and sporadically touching the mat, meaning the shots are just about illegal.

The action is paused, and Allen gets a warning. Now we’re back under way.

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:33 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Jumping knee lands for Evloev! Allen takes it well and keeps pressing forward.

Allen sidesteps a deep cross from Evloev and fires off his own cross, aiming at the body.

OH! Evloev hurts Allen with a jab and a hook! Allen stumbls to his knees then pops back up, but he’s been badly cut around his left eye!

Allen is looking a bit off now...

This incoming, final round may be the decider. Allen’s coach Firas Zahabi believes he needs a finish, though.

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:31 , Alex Pattle

Round two

Evloev is 1/9 on takedowns, officially. You could argue he should’ve been credited with a couple more late in the round.

Jab and southpaw cross to the body by Allen. Another failed takedown attempt for Evloev, who sees a head kick blocked again. Allen fires back with one of his own, but it doesn’t quite land clean.

Another blocked head kick for Evloev. In fact, Allen catches it and shoves the Russian away. Another single-leg attempt by Evloev, and he’s able to get Allen down.

Allen stands and lands some nice back elbows, as Evloev hangs on from behind! Evloev still hanging on, as Allen stands against the fence.

After some grappling there, the pair move into the open.

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:27 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Evloev with some nice jabs at last, and a couple of right hooks. Now he sees a head kick blocked.

“Allen” is the chant from the Toronto crowd. More good jabs from the Briton. Again Evloev shoots for a takedown, but he’s stopped at the source.

He goes again, but Allen sprawls then rolls... but Evloev eventually grabs ahold of Allen’s back!

Once more Allen rolls, but Evloev maintains his grip. Allen is now standing against the fence.

Evloev drags Allen down a couple of times, but that’s likely still Allen’s round as a result of his superior striking output.

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:24 , Alex Pattle

Round one

Great atmosphere in Toronto, which is staging its first UFC event in a while.

Allen stands southpaw, Evloev is orthodox. Allen presses forward early. Good, long right hook by him.

Now a decent counter left by the Briton, beating Evloev to the punch. Slick jab for Allen, too, and a body shot.

Allen is very light on his feet as he hops in with another body jab. Here’s the first takedown attempt by Evloev, a single-leg, and he gets Allen to the fence.

Allen did very well to stay on his feet there. And he wriggles free against the fence!

UFC 297 LIVE: Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev

03:15 , Alex Pattle

We kick off with Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev at featherweight.

England’s “Almighty” Allen (19-2) is looking to bounce back from his first loss in a long time – a decision defeat by ex-champion Max Holloway last April – while Evloev is unbeaten at a startling 17-0.

A lot has been made of the Russian’s takedown success and Allen’s impressive takedown defence; which will win out tonight?

There’s a good reaction for fourth-ranked Allen, who spends a lot of time training in Canada. Evloev is ranked ninth, so could leap up the rankings with a win here.

Okay, this one could be intriguing... Here we go!

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

03:06 , Alex Pattle

And here’s how the main card looks, working backwards from the from main event:

Sean Strickland (C) vs Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight title)

Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva (vacant women’s bantamweight title)

Neil Magny vs Mike Malott (welterweight)

Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault (middleweight)

Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev (featherweight)

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

03:03 , Alex Pattle

Here are the results so far tonight:

Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Sean Woodson def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Ramon Taveras def. Serhiy Sidey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana via second-round TKO (3:12)

Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse via first-round submission (rear naked choke, 2:03)

Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira via third-round submission (anaconda choke, 4:21)

Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via second-round submission (arm triangle, 1:17)

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

02:53 , Alex Pattle

The main card is just minutes away! Don’t go anywhere; we’ll give you a round-up of all the prelim results in a few moments, before we dive into our live fight updates from the main card!

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

02:40 , Alex Pattle

Outside of the UFC, there was more big news as the PFL and Bellator announced a champions vs champions card, which is due to take place in Saudi Arabia next month:

Saudi entry into MMA begins with huge PFL vs Bellator card

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

02:25 , Alex Pattle

Some other important news this week...

Will this one end up being a fight of the year contender? Or is Max Holloway in for another ill-fated venture at lightweight?

Justin Gaethe vs Max Holloway official as ‘BMF’ title returns at UFC 300

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

02:10 , Alex Pattle

While we wait for the main card to begin, let’s look back at some other big news from the MMA world this week, starting with this update from Jon Jones:

Jon Jones provides update on UFC return amid recovery from injury

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

01:58 , Alex Pattle

We didn’t just talk to Saint-Denis about Dustin Poirier and UFC 299...

We also spoke about the 28-year-old’s time in a counter-terrorism unit of the French special forces...

And much more!

Here’s the full interview:

How Benoit Saint-Denis went from fighting terrorists to fighting in the UFC

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

01:47 , Alex Pattle

This week, Indy Sport conducted an exclusive interview with UFC lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis.

It was revealed last week that the Frenchman will be fighting ex-interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March.

We spoke to Saint-Denis about that fight:

Benoit Saint-Denis ‘surprised’ that Dustin Poirier accepted UFC 299 fight

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

01:30 , Alex Pattle

Tonight’s main event won’t technically be the first time that Strickland and Du Plessis have fought...

The pair brawled at ringside in December, during UFC 296, and Strickland has since admitted to biting his challenger...

UFC champion admits to biting challenger in ringside brawl

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

01:14 , Alex Pattle

Strickland had some pretty choice words for women’s MMA and the LGBTQ community this week.

Here’s what the controversial American had to say:

Sean Strickland launches derisive attack on women’s MMA ahead of UFC 297

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

00:53 , Alex Pattle

The odds for tonight’s main event...

Strickland – 4/6

Du Plessis – 5/4

Via Bet365.

Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

00:30 , Alex Pattle

Here’s tonight’s card in full (subject to any very late changes!):

Main card

Sean Strickland (C) vs Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight title)

Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva (vacant women’s bantamweight title)

Neil Magny vs Mike Malott (welterweight)

Chris Curtis vs Marc-Andre Barriault (middleweight)

Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev (featherweight)

Prelims

Brad Katona vs Garrett Armfield (bantamweight)

Charles Jourdain vs Sean Woodson (featherweight)

Serhiy Sidey vs Ramon Taveras* (bantamweight) *Taveras missed weight at 139.7lbs

Gillian Robertson vs Polyana Viana (women’s strawweight)

Early prelims

Yohan Lainesse vs Sam Patterson (welterweight)

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Priscila Cachoeira (women’s bantamweight)

Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via second-round submission (head-arm triangle, 1:17)

UFC 297 card in full as Strickland fights Du Plessis in main event tonight

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

00:10 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The early prelims just got going at 11.30pm GMT (4.30pm PT, 6.30pm CT, 7.30pm ET), with the regular prelims due to follow at 1am GMT on Sunday 21 January (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday).

The main card will then begin at 3am GMT on Sunday (8pm PT, 10pm CT, 11pm ET on Saturday), and that’s when our fight updates will start!

More info here:

What time does UFC 297 start tonight?

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

Saturday 20 January 2024 23:50 , Alex Pattle

UFC 297 is airing live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.

More info here:

How to watch UFC 297 online and on TV tonight

UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis

Saturday 20 January 2024 23:33 , Alex Pattle

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis will clash for the UFC middleweight title tonight, with the vacant women’s bantamweight belt also on the line in Toronto.

Strickland won the middleweight title with a seismic upset of Israel Adesanya in September, and now the controversial American makes his first defence of the belt. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Du Plessis enters the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of ex-champion Robert Whittaker in July.

Strickland and Du Plessis have fought each other before, in a sense, having brawled in the crowd at UFC 296 in December, and fans are expecting a scrappy contest this evening.

In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington will fight Mayra Bueno Silva to crown a new women’s bantamweight champion, seven months after the icon Amanda Nunes retired and relinquished the belt.