Tag: UFC 297

Dricus Du Plessis Ready to ‘Settle The Score’ with Israel Adesanya Following UFC 297 Title Victory

Dricus Du PlessisDricus Du Plessis is your new UFC middleweight champion. Emanating from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, UFC 297…

Dricus Du Plessis

Dricus Du Plessis is your new UFC middleweight champion.

Emanating from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, UFC 297 delivered a memorable main-event matchup between defending titleholder Sean Strickland and the South African standout. As things got underway, Strickland lit up ‘DDP’ with his signature jab. The same one that caused a plethora of problems for Israel Adesanya last year. However, Du Plessis fared much better than ‘The Last Stylebender’ by mixing up his attacks on the feet before shooting in for takedowns.

Though ‘Stillknocks’ was unable to keep Strickland on the canvas for long, the threat of the takedown was enough to put the outspoken superstar on his back foot long enough for Du Plessis to take control of the third and fourth rounds. Strickland poured it on in the final five minutes, but by then, it just wasn’t enough.

‘DDP’ walked away with the win and his first UFC title via split decision.

Following the contest, Du Plessis spoke with Daniel Cormier during his post-fight interview where he broke down his performance and what he believes ultimately earned him the 185-pound crown.

“I honestly thought with the takedowns, I made sure on every round,” Du Plessis said of his performance. “I could feel it was a close fight. I felt that he gets up really well. I felt the first three rounds was give and take but those last two rounds I know. I was there for rounds four and five. Who says this guy’s not a five round fighter?

“He has a super, super strong jab. It feels like somebody hits you with a rock. It was imperative that I make him go backwards. If I’m pressuring with this physique, I promise you’re going to get tired. Sean Strickland, you said to death, I tried to kill you in here tonight, didn’t quite get there but you are one hell of a man. Thank you for bringing the best out of me. It was an honor sharing the cage with you.”

Before exiting the Octagon to go celebrate with his family, Du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya.

“Israel Adesanya, get your ass back in the UFC so we can settle the score,” Du Plessis shouted while addressing the former middleweight champion.

Following Du Plessis’ second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker in July, Adesanya entered the cage for an intense face-off with ‘Stillknocks’ that quickly became uncomfortable. ‘DDP’ was slated to fight the ‘Stylebender’ in September 2023, but the eight-week turnaround was too soon for Du Plessis to accept the fight, paving the way for Strickland to step in and shock the world.

With ‘DDP’ now carrying the gold, we could finally see Du Plessis and Adesanya settle their issues inside the Octagon.

Khamzat Chimaev Reacts to Dricus Du Plessis’ Middleweight Title Win at UFC 297: ‘It’s My Time Now’

Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du PlessisIt didn’t take long for Khamzat Chimaev to chime in following the arrival of a new middleweight world champion….

Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis

It didn’t take long for Khamzat Chimaev to chime in following the arrival of a new middleweight world champion.

On Saturday night, Dricus Du Plessis scored the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career, earning a split decision victory over Sean Strickland to claim the 185-pound title at UFC 297 in Toronto. As is the case every time we are presented with a new UFC champion, fight fans online immediately begin to ask the question — what’s next?

It’s a query entirely too early for anyone to answer, but if things go his way, Khamzat Chimaev will be the first man to challenge ‘Stillknocks’ for his shiny new chunk of gold. ‘Borz’ took to social media moments after Du Plessis’ hand was raised, suggesting that a fight between the two should go down at the promotion’s next landmark event on April 13.

Chimaev followed that up with a short video putting the new middleweight titleholder on notice.

Is Khamzat Chimaev Next in Line?

Khamzat Chimaev’s last appearance inside the Octagon came in October when the promotion returned to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294. Originally scheduled to face Paulo Costa, ‘Borz’ instead squared off with short-notice replacement opponent Kamaru Usman. Chimaev walked away with a majority decision victory against the former welterweight champ. That extended his undefeated record to 13-0 and had him once again calling for a title opportunity.

With UFC 300 less than three months away, it’s unlikely that the Dricus Du Plessis will be willing to make the quick turnaround for such a fight. Unless, of course, the UFC backs up a dump truck full of cash to his front door.

The likelier scenario is that ‘DDP’ will put his title on the line against Israel Adesanya when ‘The Last Stylebender’ makes his return to the Octagon, rumored to be sometime in the summer of 2024. But as we all already know, anything is possible in MMA.

Does Khamzat Chimaev deserve the first shot at Du Plessis’ middleweight title, or is ‘DDP’ vs. Adesanya the fight to make?

Dricus Du Plessis Outworks Sean Strickland, Captures Middleweight Title via Split Decision – UFC 297 Highlights

Dricus Du PlessisThe UFC has a new middleweight world champion and his name is Dricus Du Plessis. After scoring six straight…

Dricus Du Plessis

The UFC has a new middleweight world champion and his name is Dricus Du Plessis.

After scoring six straight victories, ‘Stillknocks’ stepped into his first main event at UFC 297 on Saturday night against the promotion’s unlikely 185-pound king, Sean Strickland. As expected, Strickland put his jab on display early, lighting up Du Plessis in the opening round and causing some damage to the South African’s left eye. Strickland also did a fantastic job of checking the all-important leg kicks that ‘DDP’ often uses to set up his brutal body attacks.

Needing to make some adjustments in the second stanza, Du Plessis put his wrestling skills to use, dragging Strickland down to the canvas multiple times. Though ‘DDP’ was unable to keep Strickland on the canvas for long, it appeared to be sapping the champ’s energy as the fight moved into the later rounds.

Strickland turned up the heat in the fifth and final round, but not before giving up the third and fourth rounds to Du Plessis on two of the three judges’ scorecards. That ultimately made all the difference after the 25-minute affair was in the books.

Official Result: Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to win the UFC middleweight world championship.

Interestingly, fight fans on Verdict were not entirely in agreement with the judges, favoring Strickland by the narrowest of margins.

Check Out Highlights From Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297:

Raquel Pennington Scores Decisive Decision Victory to Win Bantamweight Title – UFC 297 Highlights

Raquel PenningtonAfter 10 years and 18 fights inside the Octagon, Raquel Pennington can finally call herself a UFC champion. Stepping…

Raquel Pennington

After 10 years and 18 fights inside the Octagon, Raquel Pennington can finally call herself a UFC champion.

Stepping into the UFC 297 co-main event spotlight inside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, ‘Rocky’ one of the most dominant performances of her illustrious career against one of the division’s fiercest finishers, Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington came out looking to push the pace from the get-go, but her offense was largely stifled in the first round as the Brazilian put her clinch game on display.

However, Bueno Silva was unable to keep that pace. As she began to noticeably slow, Pennington wore on her opponent in the clinch and found herself taking significant control of the bout by the time they entered the championship rounds.

In the fifth and final round, Pennington poured it on, unloading a series of ground-and-pound strikes that Bueno Silva had no answer for. With time running out, Pennington popped up and peppered a Bueno Silva with a series of kicks before the final bell rang.

Official Result: Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to capture the UFC women’s bantamweight world championship.

Check Out Highlights From Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297:

Neil Magny Mounts Epic Comeback Against Mike Malott With Seconds Left on the Clock – UFC 297 Highlights

Neil MagnyWelterweight gatekeeper Neil Magny delivered an early entry for Comeback of the Year at UFC 297. Stepping into enemy…

Neil Magny

Welterweight gatekeeper Neil Magny delivered an early entry for Comeback of the Year at UFC 297.

Stepping into enemy territory against Canadian fan favorite Mike Malott, things looked dire for Magny in the early going as he ate a series of brutal calf kicks in the opening round. Things did not improve in the second with ‘Proper’ controlling the action on the ground following a successful takedown attempt. Malott managed to mount Magny and reigned down a series of strikes. Magny’s defense allowed him to survive the onslaught and make it out of the round.

Clearly behind on the scorecards, Magny pushed the pace in the third, pressing Malott against the cage and scoring a much-needed takedown. With his opponent beginning to fatigue, Magny poured it on. Moving into mount, the ‘Haitian Sensation’ dropped a series of uncontested strikes as the clock continued to tick.

With only seconds left, Malott was unable to do anything other than cover up and attempt to absorb the strikes Magny was delivering. That was enough for the referee to step in and call for the stoppage with only 15 seconds to go in the contest.

Official Result: Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via TKO (ground and pound) at 4:45 of Round 3.

Check out Highlights From Neil Magny vs. Malott at UFC 297:

Bruce Buffer Confuses Everyone with Awkward Announcement of Woodson vs. Jourdain Winner: UFC 297 Highlights

Bruce Buffer UFC 297Bruce Buffer’s pronunciation of the name ‘Sean’ was the cause of a lot of confusion at UFC 297 on…

Bruce Buffer UFC 297

Bruce Buffer’s pronunciation of the name ‘Sean’ was the cause of a lot of confusion at UFC 297 on Saturday night.

Featherweight standouts Charles Jourdain and Sean Woodson stepped inside the Octagon and delivered an entertaining back-and-forth scrap that left everyone scratching their heads as to who would walk away with the win. Making the official announcement, Buffer revealed that Woodson was the winner via split decision. However, the way he made the announcement left Jourdain believing he had won the bout.

Seeing Jourdain’s reaction, Woodson assumed he was the loser and began to walk away before Daniel Cormier stepped into the cage and let him know that he had won the bout.

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

Fans Online React to the Sean Woodson vs. Charles Jourdain Announcement at UFC 297: