One of the UFC’s most controversial fighters returns in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 297 card. In that fight, Sean Strickland will make the first defense of his middleweight championship against top contender Dricus du Plessis.
Strickland has divided the MMA fanbase with controversial comments, representing a shift in the UFC’s willingness to mix politics and sports. Strickland pulled off a huge upset over Israel Adesanya to win the title in a fight that only came about because du Plessis was unable to face Adesanya when offered. In du Plessis, Strickland faces another man who rose to the top of the division with an upset over an elite fighter, having stopped Robert Whittaker in his most recent outing.
There is one other championship bout set for the event, with Mayra Bueno Silva set to meet Raquel Pennington for the vacant women’s bantamweight title. This is Pennington’s second shot at a UFC championship, having lost to Amanda Nunes in 2018. The belt is now up for grabs after Nunes retired from active competition in 2023.
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