One of the UFC’s most controversial fighters returns in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 297 card. In that fight, Sean Strickland will make the first defense of his middleweight championship against top contender Dricus du Plessis.
Strickland has divided MMA fans with controversial comments, Represents a change in UFC’s desire Mixing politics and sports. Strickland won the title in a major upset over Israel Adesanya, a fight that only took place because Du Plessis was unable to face Adesanya when offered. In Du Plessis, Strickland faces another man who rose to the top of the division with an upset of an elite fighter, who stopped Robert Whittaker in his most recent outing.
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With so much happening on Saturday night, let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff’s predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities.
CBS Sports will also have live coverage of the fight Round-by-Round Scoring and Blow-by-Blow Updates To keep you updated throughout the night.
UFC 297 fight card, odds
- Sean Strickland (c) -110 vs. Dricus du Plessis -110, middleweight title
- Mayra Bueno Silva -170 vs. Raquel Pennington +145, women’s bantamweight title
- Mike Malott -370 vs. Neil Magny +290, welterweight
- Chris Curtis -190 vs. Marc-Andre Barriault +160, middleweight
- Movser Evloev -200 vs. Arnold Allen +170, featherweight
- Brad Katona -210 vs. Garrett Armfield +175, Bantamweight
- Charles Jourdain -205 vs. Sean Woodson +170, Featherweight
- Serhiy Sidey -180 vs. Ramon Taveras +155, bantamweight
- Gillian Robertson -320 vs. Poliana Viana +250, Women’s Strawweight
- Yohan Lanes -150 vs. Sam Patterson +125, welterweight
- Jasmine Jasudavicius -380 vs. Priscilla Cachioeira +300, women’s flyweight
- Malcolm Gordon -220 vs. Jimmy Flick +180, flyweight
With such a big main event, the CBS Sports crew stepped up with predictions and picks for the main card. Here are your selectors: Brent Brookhouse (combat sports writer), Brian Campbell (combat sports writer, co-host of “Morning Combat”), Shakeel Mahjouri (writer), Michael Mormile (producer) and Brandon Wise (senior editor).
UFC 297 picks, predictions
| Strickland(c) vs du Plessis | Du Plessis | Du Plessis | strickland | strickland | Du Plessis |
| Pennington vs. Bueno Silva | silva | silva | silva | silva | silva |
| maillot vs magny | Malot | Malot | Malot | Malot | Malot |
| curtis vs barriault | barriault | curtis | curtis | curtis | curtis |
| avalov vs allen | Allen | Allen | Allen | Allen | evloev |
strickland vs du plessis
Campbell: As perfect as Strickland was in upsetting Israel Adesanya in September, there’s a reason Styles makes fights. Strickland was nearly flawless in his striking execution that night, while controlling the distance and using sound defense to frustrate the former champion. But the lack of takedown threat or physicality from Adesanya was a luxury Strickland would not be able to enjoy against the towering du Plessis. Even though “DDP” was much more raw upon his UFC arrival in 2020, the technical aspects of his game have evolved rapidly, as evidenced in his 2023 upset of former champion Robert Whittaker. Strickland has a history of problems with elite power punchers, meaning it wouldn’t be out of the question for Du Plessis to get his hands on him via knockout.
Brookhouse: It still feels like Strickland’s win over Adesanya was as much a result of it being the worst night of Adesanya’s career as it was Strickland perfectly executing his gameplan. This is in no way to take credit away from Strickland as he dominated one of the best fighters of the current era on the biggest night of his professional career and was nearly perfect in doing so. But he is not going to be treated with the same passive attitude from Du Plessis. Strickland’s worst performances have come against physically stronger opponents with heavier hands. While Du Plessis’ technique has improved over the years, he is still raw and wild, which works to his advantage and should be enough to throw Strickland off his game.
Mahjouri: Strickland has an aggressive juggernaut to attack and grapple with. Strickland is going to need strong defense if he wants to shut down DDP’s offense. The South African fighter has better technique and cardio than he is given credit for, but his commitment to attacking creates open spaces and awkward tangles. Du Plessis is not perfect but he is powerful. Luckily, Strickland has some of the best minds in MMA. Eric Niksic, head coach of Extreme Couture, was praised as Coach of the Year by several pundits. Niksic is an expert game planner and Strickland has great trust in his team. Brad Tavares, another Extreme Couture regular, is the only UFC fighter to take du Plessis that far. Du Plessis won two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards but that experience will be invaluable in helping Strickland’s team improve their approach. Give me Strickland by decision.
behaviour: All nonsense aside, it feels like Strickland is somewhat uncomfortable with so much attention being focused on him. Although all of his comments mostly echoed his comments from the past, he mentioned that it is different now as champion. And his tone of speaking, how he handled Du Plessis and brought up his past and the media scrutiny, it seems that something is wrong. Add to that the fact that he had the best performance of his career in his last appearance and it seems like a recipe for something to go wrong. Although he was able to neutralize Adesanya’s striking, the former champion lacks the kind of one-punch power that DDP brings to the table. If Du Plessis is able to move in early, or even get it down the ground, it looks like it could be over quickly.
Pennington vs Silva
Campbell: Despite a definite lack of buzz for this vacant title match between the top contenders, expectations are high that it will be competitive. But when each fighter’s skills are compared, it’s not hard to see the shift going Silva’s way due to his strength on the ground, primarily due to his threat of submission. In fact, Silva forced former champion Holly Holm to tap out in her last fight, but it turned into a no contest after an irregular drug test result. Holm was the same fighter who has two wins over Pennington, who is durable and solid but spectacular despite holding the current longest winning streak in the division. With former champion Juliana Pena likely on deck for the winner, look for Silva to have her moment in the sun as the title remains in Brazil following Amanda Nunes’ 2023 retirement.
Mahjouri: Silva comes in for the scrap. Stopping 41-year-old Holly Holm isn’t quite the feat it once was, but she’s the only person besides former champions Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate to do so in MMA. The results were later reversed due to a metabolite in her ADHD medication but it is still a worthy accomplishment. Silva is undefeated in four fights at bantamweight and looks to be a contender in the coming years. Pennington’s five-fight winning streak is his best in more than 20 fights in his 12-year-long career. What Pennington is doing right now deserves the utmost respect. Not many fighters experience success this late in their careers. Pennington is another fighter who is difficult to stop, but I think Silva has the ability to get a submission in three rounds.
maillot vs magny
Campbell: With a powerhouse build and six consecutive stoppage wins, Malott has become an intriguing prospect at 170 pounds. The Canada native is expected to be boosted by the support of the huge crowd in Toronto as he faces the 36-year-old Magny, who has split wins and losses in each of their last six meetings. Magny remains a strong litmus test for the division as an elite gatekeeper, but even with Magny’s seven-inch reach advantage, Malott’s submission threat is likely to be too great.
Brookhouse: This is one of the most exciting types of fights, seeing an exciting fighter come up against a seasoned veteran in a big step-up fight. Malott is a dangerous fighter who is always looking for the finish and Magny is not impossible to stop. That said, Magny is nothing new at defying the odds and she’s not about to give up on Maillot. The Canadian is probably too strong and dangerous to fall into that trap, but the alert level for it is at a high level.
Mahjouri: Malott is getting a serious upgrade from players like Mickey Gall and Adam Fugit. Magny is the most experienced fighter in the welterweight division. Magny’s title aspirations are probably for the best but he has always been a tough gatekeeper. I originally favored Magny’s reach and experience over Malott’s ability. The Magni will have seven inches of forward reach and two inches of edge in height. He has never been a serious finishing threat but knows how to win rounds. It was Malott’s dual threat of knockout and submission that won me over. Malott fights thoughtfully despite his relative lack of professional experience. He can apply the same pressure that has troubled Magny in the past, without worrying too much about what’s happening. If Mellot doesn’t stop Magny he will win at least two rounds.
Who Wins UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis, and How Does Each Fight Really End? Visit SportsLine now for a comprehensive pick on UFC 297, all from the MMA expert who made over $6,200 in 2022, and find out.
