UFC 297 Preview
Sean Strickland looks to land a right hand on Israel Adesanya. Credit: BVM Sports.
The first pay-per-view card of 2024 has arrived, and it’s a big one. In the main event, the massively popular champion Sean Strickland will attempt his first title defense against the red-hot Dricus Du Plessis. In the co-main event, a new Women’s Bantamweight champion will finally be crowned when established veteran Raquel Pennington takes on the rapidly rising Mayra Bueno Silva. The entire main card is filled out with ranked fighters and exceptional matchups, all vying for a bonus and a chance to establish their name on the biggest stage in MMA. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
#4 Arnold Allen vs. #9 Movsar Evloev
Arnold Allen lands a right hook on Dan Hooker. Credit: New York Post.
Featherweight Bout
Arnold Allen: 19-2-0, 7 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Movsar Evloev: 17-0-0, 3 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Allen has won four of his last five bouts with UFC victories over #7 ranked Featherweight Calvin Kattar (23-7-0), #10 ranked Lightweight Dan Hooker (23-12-0), and #12 ranked Featherweight Sodiq Yusuff (13-3-0). He is an excellent technical striker, possessing serious speed and power in his hands and a solid arsenal of kicks. He has some of the best striking defense in the UFC, only absorbing about three significant strikes per minute on average, with a significant strike defense percentage of 61%. Allen throws beautiful combinations, rarely throwing single shots, and often mixes in head and body kicks at the end of his combinations. He throws everything with substantial power but remains accurate, allowing him to push a heavy pace across an entire fight. Training at BKK Fighters, he averages over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and seems equally comfortable on the ground as he is on the feet. Allen is seemingly never in the same place, constantly moving and attacking from different angles, which makes him incredibly elusive.
Movsar Evloev lands a flying knee on Dan Ige. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Evloev is undefeated and has UFC wins over #13 ranked Featherweight Dan Ige (17-7-0), Diego Lopes (23-6-0), and Nik Lentz (30-12-2). He’s an excellent grappler, holding the rank of Master of Sport in Greco-Roman wrestling. He’s averaging nearly five takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has landed multiple takedowns in six of his seven promotional appearances. Evloev has excellent top control and always remains technical, constantly throwing ground and pound and looking to wear his opponent down. Training at American Top Team, he has solid power in his hands and is defensively sound, absorbing less than three significant strikes per minute. He moves in and out of the pocket excellently and never keeps his head on the centerline, often dropping his head and blitzing forward to throw combinations. Evloev has excellent cardio and averaged about 72 significant strikes in his last five fights.
#14 Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
Chris Curtis cracks Kelvin Gastelum with a right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.
Middleweight Bout
Chris Curtis: 30-10-0, 17 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Marc-Andre Barriault: 16-6-0, 10 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Curtis has won two of his last five fights with one no-contest and has UFC wins coming over #7 ranked Middleweight Brendan Allen (23-5-0), Rodolfo Vieira (9-2-0), and Joaquin Buckley (17-6-0). He is a veteran of the sport, having started his pro career in 2009, and is an excellent technical boxer on the feet. He has one-shot knockout power in both hands and varies his strikes well, attacking the head and body evenly. Training at Xtreme Couture, Curtis is an excellent counter-striker and will often dip his head before returning fire with a barrage of hooks. He throws everything in combination and is at his best when he stays behind his jab and pressures forward, controlling the fight's pace. He’s shown great patience and doesn’t overexert himself on the feet, but he has a solid chin and is willing to eat a shot to land one. Curtis has shown excellent takedown defense and has denied 92% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC, and he also possesses a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Marc-Andre Barriault lands a left hand on Julian Marquez. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Barriault has won three of his last five fights, with UFC victories coming over Julian Marquez (9-4-0), Jordan Wright (12-5-0), and Eryk Anders (15-8-0). He’s a striker, preferring to get the job done with his hands, stay in the pocket, and brawl. He has solid power in both hands and mixes in damaging leg kicks in his constant pursuit of a finish. When the fight hits the ground, Barriault has shown decent top control and throws equally as big shots as he does on the feet, rarely pursuing a submission. He has solid defensive wrestling, having defended 67% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he has impressive cardio and can push a heavy pace, averaging about 95 significant strikes landed in his last five victories. Despite this, Barriault still seems to favor power over volume, throwing every shot with fight-ending intentions.
#13 Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott
Neil Magny looks to lock in a choke on Robbie Lawler. Credit: MMA Mania.
Welterweight Bout
Neil Magny: 28-12-0, 7 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Mike Malott: 10-1-1, 4 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Magny has won two of his last five fights and has wins over former UFC Welterweight champions Robbie Lawler (29-16-0) and Johny Hendricks (18-8-0), as well as #8 ranked Welterweight Geoff Neal (14-5-0). He is in his 11th year in the promotion, and his experience shows in the cage, as he’s seemingly comfortable everywhere. He’s tall for the division and uses it well, staying at distance on the feet and picking his opponents apart with his punches. Magny’s best weapon is his cardio; he can and has gone 25 minutes and always pushes a heavy pace, constantly touching up his opponents or working for takedowns. Training at Elevation Fight Team, he is excellent at using his length inside the clinch, often landing knees and elbows and scoring takedowns. Averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes, his most straightforward path to victory is to take it to the mat, which he usually does. Magny stays technical across the entire fight, never overexerting himself or putting himself in significant danger.
Mike Malott throws a left hook at Mickey Gall. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Malott is undefeated in his last five bouts, with his UFC victories coming over Mickey Gall (7-5-0), Adam Fugitt (9-4-0), and Yohan Lainesse (9-2-0). He is dangerous on the feet with a solid kicking game and one-shot knockout power. He’s highly technical and accurate, throwing every shot with purpose and plenty of power. Malott has excellent footwork and typically throws in combination, supplying his opponent with a healthy dose of hooks and overhands. He also does an excellent job of entering and exiting the pocket, often able to land and return to the outside before his opponent can return fire. Training at Niagara Top Team, he’s a solid grappler with good wrestling and tremendous pressure on top. Similar to his striking, Malott stays technical and patient on the ground, looking for openings and quickly advancing position.
#2 Raquel Pennington vs. #3 Mayra Bueno Silva
Raquel Pennington looks to land a right hand on Ketlen Vieira. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Women’s Bantamweight Title Bout
Raquel Pennington: 15-9-0, 1 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Mayra Bueno Silva: 10-2-1, 1 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Pennington has won all of her last five outings and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira (14-3-0), #5 ranked Bantamweight Irene Aldana (15-7-0), and #7 ranked Bantamweight Pannie Kianzad (17-7-0). She’s a well-rounded scrapper with excellent boxing and cardio. Averaging 79 significant strikes landed in her last five fights, she pushes a consistently heavy pace and always throws in combination. Pennington is a highly accurate striker, remaining technical throughout and throwing every shot with purpose. Training at Altitude MMA, she has excellent clinch control and sets up her grappling with her striking. She’ll often close the distance with her boxing before clinching up and wearing her opponent down with knees and punches. Despite a lack of KO’s, Pennington has sneaky punching power, often touching up her opponents with jabs and straights before throwing with full power.
Mayra Bueno Silva lands a knee on Montana De La Rosa. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Bueno Silva has won three of her last five fights with one no-contest and has UFC victories over Wu Yanan (12-6-0), Gillian Robertson (12-8-0), and Mara Romero Borella (12-9-0). She’s a wild, well-rounded fighter in constant pursuit of a finish. She’s perpetually coming forward on the feet, often throwing single shots and naked kicks with serious power. Bueno Silva varies her shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and typically setting up her offense with leg kicks. Although she won’t usually land many takedowns, she averages nearly two submissions attempted per fifteen minutes and is very dangerous on the ground. Training at American Top Team, she has heavy top pressure and never accepts position, always looking to advance and find a submission. Bueno Silva prefers power to volume, throwing plenty of looping shots and loading up on her punches.
(C) Sean Strickland vs. #2 Dricus Du Plessis
Sean Strickland throws a kick at Krzysztof Jotko. Credit: The Ringer.
Middleweight Title Bout
Sean Strickland: 28-5-0, 11 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Dricus Du Plessis: 20-2-0, 9 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.
Strickland has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #1 ranked Middleweight Israel Adesanya (24-3-0), #10 ranked Middleweight Jack Hermansson (23-8-0), #11 ranked Middleweight Nassourdine Imavov (12-4-0). He’s an excellent striker, constantly coming forward and letting his hands go. While he prefers to keep the fight standing, he’s willing to grapple, averaging just under one takedown landed per fifteen minutes. Strickland also has solid takedown defense, defending 84% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. He rarely pursues submissions, typically resorting to ground-and-pound when on top. He uses a very upright boxing style on the feet, throwing every shot with purpose and in combination. Training at Millenia MMA, Strickland tries to keep his opponent on the back foot as much as possible to open up opportunities to land strikes, especially his one-two.
Dricus Du Plessis throws ground and pound at Robert Whittaker. Credit: The Wright Way Network.
Du Plessis has won all of his last five bouts, with his UFC victories coming over #3 ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker (25-7-0), Derek Brunson (24-9-0), and Darren Till (18-5-1). He utilizes a kickboxing style on the feet, often throwing a barrage of kicks from distance, especially to the legs. He has one-shot knockout power, with many of his knockouts seemingly coming from nowhere. Training at CIT Performance Institute, Du Plessis has power in both hands and will often blitz forward to throw big combinations. He throws everything with power and never telegraphs his shots, making him dangerous at all times. He often mixes grappling into his attacks, averaging nearly three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes. When on top, Du Plessis stays patient and won’t force anything, focusing on getting to advantageous positions before throwing ground and pound.
Best Bets
Arnold Allen Moneyline: This is arguably the best matchup on the card. Evloev is undefeated, and Allen was undefeated in the UFC until his most recent loss to Max Holloway. I think that loss is part of why Allen ended up a decent-sized underdog, even though he matches up exceptionally well here. I think he will outpace Evloev on the feet and has the grappling to keep it standing, so I’ll take Allen in this fight.
Raquel Pennington Moneyline: Another underdog I don’t fully understand, Pennington has vastly more experience and a much better resume than Bueno Silva. Pennington has lost exclusively to former champions in her UFC tenure, and I believe this is finally her chance to reach the top of the mountain after over a decade in the promotion. Although she’s certainly at a power disadvantage, she’s much more well-rounded, technical, and better prepared for a five-round fight.
Sean Strickland Moneyline: The build-up to this fight has been very bizarre. Initially, it seemed the beef was serious between these two until this week when they were shown making up and embracing each other on Embedded. Knowing emotions won’t be a primary factor in the cage, I’m far more confident in Strickland’s ability to get the job done. He’s vastly more technical than Du Plessis and has a much better gas tank, so I could see a decision or finish victory for the People’s Champion.
Bonus Bet: Chris Curtis by KO/TKO: This is a fun matchup of two guys who want to go in there and throw down. Barriault is better than many people give him credit for, but Curtis is much more technically skilled and well-rounded. I expect these two to meet in the middle and that Curtis will be the one left standing.
