The UFC will return to action on Saturday, January 20 (US time) with UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis, which will be the first pay-per-view event of 2024. The event is set to take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The UFC 297 card will be headlined by a much-anticipated middleweight title clash between reigning champion Sean Strickland and the No.2-ranked contender, Dricus du Plessis.
Sean Strickland will look to make the first successful defense of his 185-pound title that he captured with a dominant decision win over Israel Adedanya last September.
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Dricus du Plessis, meanwhile, is coming off a stunning TKO victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in July and is riding an eight-fight win streak heading into this championship fight.
In the co-main event, the No.2-ranked Raquel Pennington and No.3-ranked Mayra Bueno Silva will battle it out for the vacant women's bantamweight title. Amanda Nunes retired and vacated the belt following her victory over Irene Aldana in July, 2023.
The UFC 297 main card will also feature a welterweight clash between Neil Magny and Mike Malott. Additionally, Chris Curtis will square off against Marc Andre Barriault in a middleweight clash.
In the night's main card opener, undefeated rising contender Movsar Evloev will take on Arnold Allen in a featherweight showdown.
Find out when and where you can watch the event along with the full UFC 297 card below.
UFC 297 - Timings
The following are the timings for UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis timings for viewers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
United States & Canada
The early prelims for the event will kick off at 6:00 PM ET/ 3:00 PM PT, followed by the prelims at 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT on Saturday, January 20. The UFC 297 main pay-per-view card will commence at 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT.
United Kingdom
For UK audiences, the early prelims will get underway at 11:00 PM GMT on Saturday, January 20. The prelims follow at 1:00 AM GMT on Sunday, January 21, with the pay-per-view main card scheduled to begin at 3:00 AM GMT.
Australia
In Australia, the early prelims will start at 7:00 AM AWST/ 8:30 AM ACST/ 9:00 AM AEST on Sunday, January 21, followed by the prelims at 9:00 AM AWST/ 10:30 AM ACST/ 11:00 AM AEST. The main card will get underway at 11:00 AM AWST/ 12:30 PM ACST/ 1:00 PM AEST.
Watch UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis fight preview below:
Where to watch UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis - Television, live streaming, and pricing
Here's how viewers can watch UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis live on television and online platforms in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
United States
The prelims and the main card will stream live on ESPN+. The subscription costs $10.99 per month, but viewers can save with an annual subscription of $109.99.
For those with an active ESPN+ subscription, UFC pay-per-view events can be purchased for $79.99 per event. For new and monthly ESPN+ subscribers, the pay-per-view package can be purchased for $134.98, which comes with an annual subscription to ESPN+ along with access to the next UFC pay-per-view event.
For the prelims, viewers can also tune in to ESPN News. The platform is available via Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, Fubo TV, Vidgo, AT&T TV, and YouTube TV. The early prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass as well. The subscription costs $9.99 per month or $95.99 per year.
Canada
All UFC Fight Night events are available in Canada via TSN. You can log on to TSN if you get it as part of a cable deal. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the service on a streaming-only basis for $19.99 a month (plus tax).
For pay-per-view events, you can choose from several pay-per-view providers, such as SaskTel, Shaw, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus or Eastlink, with pricing set at around $64.99.
United Kingdom
The prelims and main card for this weekend's pay-per-view will be streamed live on TNT Sports Box Office. Monthly subscriptions are available at £29.99 contract-free and do not require a broadband connection. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled. The subscription can be canceled at any time.
Australia
In Australia, the main card and prelims will be available for live streaming on UFC Fight Pass. UFC pay-per-view events are also available on Main Event, Kayo Sports for AU$59.95.
UFC 297: Strickland vs. du Plessis - Full card
Here are all the fighters competing on the main and preliminary fight cards at the event:
Main card
Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis (middleweight title)
Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (women's bantamweight title)
Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott (welterweight)
Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (middleweight)
Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev (featherweight)
Preliminary card
Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield (bantamweight)
Charles Jourdain vs. Sean Woodson (featherweight)
Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras (bantamweight)
Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana (women's strawweight)
Early preliminary card
Yohan Lainesse vs. Sam Patterson (welterweight)
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Priscila Cachoeira (women's flyweight)
Malcolm Gordon vs. Jimmy Flick (flyweight)