Storylines to Watch at UFC 297

The combat sports world may soon learn just how deep the bad blood runs between Sean Strickland and his would-be successor.

“Tarzan” will defend his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown against Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 297 headliner on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The lead-in to the event was marked by posturing from both parties, the expected pre-fight trash talk and an unexpected brawl among spectators at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of 2023. Now, they must set the histrionics and hubris aside as they get down to brass tacks.

Strickland, 32, enters the Octagon on the heels of three straight victories. The Xtreme Couture rep last appeared at UFC 293, where he upset Israel Adesanya in a five-round unanimous decision and laid claim to the middleweight title on Sept. 9. Strickland owns a 15-5 record in the UFC, having lost only to Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kamaru Usman, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier. Du Plessis, meanwhile, steps into the spotlight with the wind of an eight-fight winning streak at his back. The 30-year-old South African last fought on July 8, when he buried Robert Whittaker with punches in the second round of their UFC 290 pairing. Du Plessis has secured 19 of his 20 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

The Strickland-Du Plessis showdown and its resulting fallout for the middleweight division is but one storyline to watch at UFC 297. Here are four more:

An Irreplaceable Presence

Voids like the one left by Amanda Nunes are historically difficult to fill. Therein lies the challenge for Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva, the two women set to duke it out for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight championship in the five-round co-main event. The title was vacated on June 20, exactly 10 days after Nunes announced her retirement from the sport. Pennington, 35, has far more mileage on the odometer than her counterpart. A semifinalist on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2013, she has spent more than a decade climbing the ladder in various states of development. Pennington has won five fights on a row, but she has not competed since she eked out a split decision over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 217 a year ago. On the other side of the equation, Silva awaits her most significant opportunity to date on the strength of a four-fight unbeaten streak. She last suited up in July, when she submitted Holly Holm with a ninja choke at UFC on ESPN 49. The result was later overturned to a no contest after Silva failed a post-fight drug test. Who will emerge from Nunes’ considerable shadow at 135 pounds?

Great Expectations

Much was expected from Mike Malott when he signed with the UFC in 2021, and he has yet to disappoint. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate puts a six-fight winning streak on the line when he faces Neil Magny in a three-round welterweight showcase that figures to tell a great deal about the Canadian’s current standing in the 170-pound weight class. Malott, 32, has finished all six of his opponents during his tear, two of them in less than a minute. He last fought at UFC 289, where he subdued Adam Fugitt with a guillotine choke in the second round of their June 10 confrontation. Magny, meanwhile, has established himself as the veteran litmus test within the division. The Elevation Fight Team mainstay’s 21 victories in the UFC tie him for sixth on the company’s all-time list behind only Jim Miller (26), Donald Cerrone (23), Andrei Arlovski (23), Charles Oliveira (22) and Demian Maia (22). Magny finds himself on the rebound following a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to Ian Garry at UFC 292 in August. Can Malott clear the latest hurdle being placed in his path?

A Clearer Picture

Two sub-30 contenders, both of them ranked in the Top 10, are tasked with providing further clarity for the featherweight division when Arnold Allen toes the line against the undefeated Movsar Evloev in a featured attraction at 145 pounds. Allen, 29, has rattled off 12 wins over his past 13 outings. The Tristar Gym export last competed on April 15, when he absorbed 147 significant strikes in five-round unanimous decision defeat to Max Holloway at UFC on ESPN 44. It was Allen’s first setback in 3,234 days. On the other side of the ledger, American Top Team’s Evloev boasts a perfect 17-0 record. While the former M-1 Global champion’s game may not necessarily jump off the page, his all-terrain skills have nonetheless carried him to UFC victories over Seung Woo Choi, Enrique Barzola, Mike Grundy, Nik Lentz, Hakeem Dawodu, Dan Ige and Diego Lopes. Which next-generation featherweight takes the next step in his development?

Detached from Reality

Brad Katona righted one of the UFC’s previous wrongs when he returned to the promotion after being cut and did so by becoming the first two-time winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Now, the real work begins. In his first assignment since completing his run through Season 31 of the reality series, the SBG Ireland rep anchors the undercard in a bantamweight clash with Garrett Armfield. Katona, a former Brave Combat Federation champion, answers the call to arms in the midst of a five-fight winning streak. Armfield, meanwhile, has won four of his past five bouts, a July 2022 submission defeat to David Onama his only hiccup. The 27-year-old Kill Cliff Fight Club product evened his Octagon record at 1-1 at UFC Fight Night 225, where he cut down Toshiomi Kazama with first-round punches on Aug. 26. Does Katona solidify his spot on the roster at the Missouri native’s expense?