UFC 297 press conference: What time is the pre-fight event?

UFC 297 is set to take place this weekend at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Sean Strickland is preparing to put his UFC middleweight title on the line against Dricus du Plessis in the headlining bout of the first pay-per-view event of 2024. Additionally, Raquel Pennington is scheduled to take on Mayra Bueno Silva in the co-main event, contending for the vacant women's bantamweight title.

The pre-fight press conference for UFC 297 is set to kick off at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT on Thursday, Jan. 18, in the United States. The event will be hosted at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre in Toronto.

Fans have the option to watch the presser live on UFC.com and the official social media handles of the MMA promotion, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Instagram, and TikTok.

The main card for UFC 297 is set to commence at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT on Saturday, Jan. 20, in the U.S. The main event walkouts are anticipated around 12 AM ET/9 PM PT, contingent on the duration of the undercard fights.

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UFC 297 undercard: Complete fight card leading up to Strickland vs. du Plessis in Toronto

Sean Strickland is gearing up for his inaugural title defense, while Dricus du Plessis is on the brink of making history as the first South African to compete for a UFC championship.

'Tarzan' pulled off a major upset by convincingly beating Israel Adesanya and claiming the 185-pound title at UFC 293 last September. On the other hand, du Plessis secured a second-round stoppage victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 last July.

The co-main event will feature Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva competing for the bantamweight title, which was left vacant after Amanda Nunes retired in June 2023.

Other main card matchups include a welterweight bout between Neil Magny and Mike Malott, a middleweight showdown showcasing Chris Curtis against Marc-Andre Barriault, and a featherweight matchup between Arnold Allen and Movsar Evloev.

Check out the complete lineup of UFC 297 fights below:

Main Card

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight title bout)

Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (women's bantamweight title bout)

Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott (welterweight bout)

Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (middleweight bout)

Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev (featherweight bout)

Preliminary Card

Charles Jourdain vs. Sean Woodson (featherweight bout)

Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield (bantamweight bout)

Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras (bantamweight bout)

Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana (strawweight bout)

Yohan Lainesse vs. Sam Patterson (welterweight bout)

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Priscila Cachoeira (women's flyweight bout)

Malcolm Gordon vs. Jimmy Flick (flyweight bout)