2024 is right around the corner and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is getting fans excited early.
The promotion revealed earlier today (Mon., Nov. 11, 2023) that the Middleweight, Featherweight, and Bantamweight titles will all be fought for (in that order) within the first three months of the 2024 calendar. Headling UFC 297, UFC 298, and UFC 299 will be match ups between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria, and then the Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon “Chito” Vera rematch.
Opening betting odds have now been released per BetOnline.ag and all three champions are favored to win their fights. However, the largest of the trio is Bantamweight’s O’Malley, who looks to avenge his lone career loss against Vera in August 2020.
UFC 297 – Jan. 20, 2024
Dricus Du Plessis +115 (23/20)
Sean Strickland -135 (20/27)
Note: Odds opened Du Plessis +165 and Strickland -190.
UFC 298 – February 2024
Ilia Topuria +145 (29/20)
Alexander Volkanovski -170 (10/17)
UFC 299 – March 2024:
Chito Vera +215 (43/20)
Sean O’Malley -255 (20/51)
Having the betting odds in their favor isn’t something the Sean champs have been accustomed to in their recent fights. Both Strickland and O’Malley overcame the odds in their bids for gold in each’s last fights. For Strickland, he entered enemy territory in Sydney, Australia for UFC 293 to dethrone Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision in September 2023 (watch highlights). The month before belonged to “Sugar” when O’Malley put away reigning titleholder, Aljamain Sterling, with a clean second round technical knockout at UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts (watch highlights).
As for Volkanovski, “The Great” is getting his wish by staying active after coming up short in his short-notice Lightweight title fight rematch against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 last month (Oct. 21, 2023). Volkanovski lost the fight via first round head kick and punches (watch highlights) and will look to add blemish No. 1 onto the record of the undefeated 13-0 Topuria.