UFC 297 LIVE: Strickland vs Du Plessis fight updates and results tonight
Re-live updates from the middleweight title fight, as well as a clash for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt
Dricus Du Plessis took the middleweight title from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 on Saturday, beating the controversial American via split decision.
Strickland won the belt from Israel Adesanya in September, in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, but his first defence was an unsuccessful one.
Du Plessis entered the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of former champion Robert Whittaker last July, and although the South African failed to replicate that explosive performance, he just did enough to emerge victorious.
After five rounds, the judges’ scorecards read 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 in favour of Du Plessis, though the result could easily have gone the other way.
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington beat Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision to win the vacant women’s bantamweight title. Re-live updates and see all the results from UFC 297 below.
UFC 297 LIVE: Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva
Time for the co-main event!
Former title challenger Raquel Pennington faces Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt.
Fighting icon Amanda Nunes relinquished the title last summer, when she retired from MMA.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via third-round TKO (ground strikes, 4:45).
Unbelievable. Honestly. Magny did almost nothing for 14 minutes, then suddenly turned the tide completely in the final minute or so.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Round three
Malott isn’t able to advance the position or do much damage from Magny’s guard.
A scramble eventually seems Magny stand, and he’s able to get his own takedown!
He dumps down Malott and rains down some punches, and Malott tries a leg lock.
Magny ends up mounting him, flattening him out and landing hard punches! Thirty seconds left!
No defence from Malott! Surely Magny isn’t going to do this...
HE DOES! HE GETS THE TKO! In the final 15 seconds, almost out of NOWHERE!
What just happened?!
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Round three
Malott with a takedown early in the final round! He briefly tries a guillotine but gives up, and Magny stands against the cage.
Malott gets a single-leg and eventually dumps Magny to the mat. Malott straight into Magny’s full guard.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Round two
Magny scrambles and is able to stand, but Malott soon gets a body lock and takes down Magny against the cage! A heavy landing for the veteran.
Again Malott is in half-guard. He writhes free and stands, before diving into side mount, then mount!
Good elbows from above to end the round.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Round two
Malott’s corner is confident that he’s hurt the lead leg of Magny.
Big one-two from Malott! Magny comes forward with a trio of straight punches but misses.
Decent push kick to the body by Magny. Hard body kick by Malott, who then lands a takedown and is straight into half-guard.
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Round one
Malott presses forward early. Hard outside low kick from him. Now Magny comes forward. Malott misses with a Superman punch and a high kick.
“F*** you, Magny,” is the chant from the crowd...
Malott closes range, and Magny gets a body lock, but he’s unable to do much with it.
The fighters separate, and Malott kicks low again. And again, hard!
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Great reaction for Malott! Canadian men are 0-6 on this card, can he buck that trend?
UFC 297 LIVE: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
Next up, we head to the welterweight division, where veteran Neil Magny fights Canada’s Mike Malott.
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