This year’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) calendar is packed with blockbuster clashes. But the first title fight of the season, which is scheduled to take place on January 21 (IST), promises to be an exhilarating showdown.
The middleweight championship bout between defending champion Sean Strickland and a surging Dricus du Plessis has been the talk of the town in what would be a fight between two sensational grapplers.
Dawn of a new rivalry
While Strickland gears up for the first-ever title defence of his career after an impressive win over the dreaded Israel Adesanya, du Plessis will be eager to make a statement, coming into the fight after a commanding win over four-weight world champion Robert Whittaker in UFC 290 last year.
Fans got a glimpse of the intensity that the fighters will offer inside the cage during UFC 296. Strickland jumped over a row of seats at the T-Mobile Arena to attack the South African, who made controversial comments about the American’s father.
Strickland’s rise to the top of the UFC middleweight standings has been nothing short of remarkable. After getting knocked out in the first round by Alex Pereira at UFC 276, most fans and pundits considered him a finished product.
However, three fights later, Strickland was facing Israel Adesanya for the championship in a battle where no one gave him a chance. Twenty-five minutes later, he decimated the champion, playing to his strengths, solidifying a massive upset with a decision win.
Meanwhile, du Plessis is also capable of producing similar upsets. His fighting style has been regarded as sloppy and unorthodox, and only a few believed he could beat former champ and serial winner Whittaker. But, du Plessis dominated the American and knocked him out in the second round, improving his UFC record to 6-0 with five stoppages and earning the next opportunity at the championship.
Dricus Du Plessis celebrates after defeating Robert Whittaker. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Fellow main card fighter Neil Magny, who takes on Mike Mallot in a middleweight bout, expects no surprises from the title fight and places his bet on Strickland to cross the finish line comfortably.
“I definitely think Strickland will get the job done. Just his fighting style is enough to derail the opponent. I don’t think du Plessis will be able to exploit Strickland’s weaknesses,” he said in an exclusive interaction with Sportstar.
Contrasting styles
Strickland, in the recent past, has used his guard to perfection and has capitalised on the occasional opportunities to dominate opponents. Despite his reduced emphasis on power, his output, stamina, and tactical fighting style make him a poacher inside the octagon.
Du Plessis on the other hand, is polar opposite. He has perfected his unorthodox stance and an aggressive set of punches to perfection, making him a force to be reckoned with.
Stacked main card
UFC 297 main card
Apart from the mouth-watering main event title bout, the co-main event fight between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant bantamweight belt has the potential to be a high-octane fight.
The bantamweight belt has been up for grabs since the retirement of the highly decorated Amanda Nunes, who hung her boots in June last year.
Silva holds a professional record of 10-2-1, including a UFC record of 5-2-1. Notably, out of her 10 victories, the Brazilian has secured seven through submission.
FILE PHOTO: Raquel Pennington(R) in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Meanwhile, Pennington enters her second UFC title fight, which she incidentally lost against Nunes back in 2018.
Pennington will come into the fight on the back of a five-fight win streak. The seasoned American’s notable victories during this run include triumphs over ranked opponents Ketlen Vieira, Macy Chiasson, and Pannie Kianzad. ‘Rocky’ boasts a professional record of 15-8, with a 12-5 record in the UFC.
Another promising bout
Buried inside the main card is the middleweight fight between Chris Curtis and Marc-Andre Barriault. The bout might not see the fighters dish out flashy moves since they have a defensive style of play but has the potential to last all three rounds, taking into consideration the grapplers’ not-so-consistent performances in the recent past.
Curtis is 40 fights old in the UFC circuit, and the remarkable part of his professional career is that he has been finished on just two occasions. On the other hand, Barriault has six first-round finishes in 22 fights. The Canadian will hope to bring his A game and will look to finish Curtis as quickly as possible, denying a late flourish that the American is widely known for.
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