Video! Strickland Freezes During Final Faceoff With DDP

It all goes down tomorrow night (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024) at UFC 297 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland puts his 185-pound title on the line for the first time against top contender Dricus Du Plessis.

These two have shared some bad blood over the past few months. From press conference banter to cageside fisticuffs, Strickland and Du Plessis have done well to promote UFC’s first title fight of 2024. The two middleweights have more or less buried the hatchet this week, but they are still promising an all-out war that will leave fight fans in awe.

On Friday, Strickland and DDP stepped on stage for UFC 297’s ceremonial weigh ins. They each made weight earlier in the day (results HERE), but this was their final chance for a last-second faceoff before the cage door shuts on Saturday. Oddly enough, Strickland seemed to freeze on stage for a moment before reluctantly facing off with DDP. Check it out in the above video player.

Adding to the mix will be a co-main event clash between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva as they battle it out for the vacant women’s bantamweight title left behind by Amanda Nunes’ retirement. “Rocky” and “Sheetara” simply don’t like each other and it showed during their final staredown.

Check it out below:

The UFC 297 PPV main card will also feature a few other key matchups. Check out those final faceoffs below and don’t miss a second of action this weekend in Toronto:

Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott

Chris Curtis vs. Marc-AndrE Barriault

Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 297 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 297: “Strickland vs. Du Plessis” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 297 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.