Newly-crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland has his first title defense date set for Saturday, January 20, when he faces Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The pair squares off in the scheduled for five rounds bout live on ESPN+ PPV. The announcement was made today by UFC President Dana White.
Sean Strickland (28-5) last fought in September in Sydney, where he dethroned former 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision. In addition to the belt, the 32-year-old native of Anaheim, California collected his third win in a row.
No. 2-ranked middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis (20-2) won his previous bout in July by TKO in the second round against former champion Robert Whittaker. The 29-year-old contender of Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa secured his eighth straight victory.
The co-main event is expected to see Raquel Pennington up against Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title.
In Australia, UFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis on Sunday, January 21 live on Kayo.
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