Bad blood will come to the boil this evening, as Sean Strickland defends the middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297.
Strickland dethroned Israel Adesanya in September, outpointing the modern-day great in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Now the controversial American makes his first title defence, against a man whom he has already fought once – in a sense.
•FOLLOW LIVE: UFC 297 – latest fight updates and results
Strickland and Du Plessis brawled in the crowd at UFC 296 in December, after the South African mocked Strickland over the alleged abuse that he suffered as a child. Now the pair will get to settle their feud in the Octagon, as Du Plessis looks to build upon his shock TKO of Robert Whittaker with another big win.
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva will clash to crown a new women’s bantamweight champion, after Amanda Nunes vacated the belt while retiring from MMA last year.
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When is UFC 297 and what time does it start?
UFC 297 will take place on Saturday 20 January at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
The early prelims are set to begin at 11.30pm GMT (4.30pm PT, 6.30pm CT, 7.30pm ET), with the regular prelims following 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).
How can I watch it?
The card will air 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.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
Odds
A tearful Sean Strickland was crowned UFC middleweight champion in September— (Getty Images)
Strickland – 4/6
Du Plessis – 5/4
Via Bet365.
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Full card (subject to change)
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)
