UFC 297 results, highlights: Dricus du Plessis outpoints Sean Strickland to earn middleweight title

The South African was able to land just enough on Saturday night in Toronto to claim the championship

There's an old saying in the fight game that you're not truly a champion until you successfully defend your title. By that measure, Sean Strickland came up just short of establishing his championship bona fides after dropping a split decision to Dricus du Plessis in the main event of Saturday's UFC 297. Despite the loss, Strickland gave every bit as good as he got in front of a rowdy crowd in Toronto.

Strickland opened the fight working behind kicks and a solid jab, forcing du Plessis to try and navigate choppy waters to get into range for his own powerful punches and kicks. In the opening round, du Plessis was able to score a takedown but could do nothing with the position before the fight ended up right back on the feet where Strickland was the more effective -- and efficient -- striker.

Strickland continued to work mostly off his jab, sticking du Plessis and forcing him to wade through shots if the challenger wanted to get inside. du Plessis changed his approach by working shots to the body to open looping punches and the occasional takedown, with one of those overhand shots opening a cut over Strickland's right eye. At the same time, Strickland's constant jab caused some significant swelling over du Plessis' left eye.

The fight became a battle between Strickland's jab and occasional right hand against du Plessis' power shots and constant pressure. As the minutes ticked by, with du Plessis in his first fight that went beyond three rounds, Strickland suffered more significant cuts, with blood flowing into Strickland's left eye. With the blood pouring from Strickland's face, du Plessis saw his right hand connect more often and his takedowns more frequently succeed, even if Strickland was able to avoid much significant time on the ground.

 Strickland tried to close the fight strong in Round 5, but du Plessis met him strike for strike, securing the decision by scores of 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 and shedding his reputation as a fighter who didn't have the gas tank to go five hard rounds.

"I felt the first three rounds were give and take but the last two rounds, I know [I won]," the new champion said after his win. "Everybody said when it goes past half way ... who says this guy is not a five-round fighter?"

Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including instant analysis at the conclusion of the PPV event below.

While there is no shortage of potential challenges to du Plessis' crown, including a rematch with Strickland or a clash with elite contender Khamzat Chimaev, du Plessis made a call out to former champion Israel Adesanya, with whom he has an existing rivalry.  

"Right now, let me tell you, man. I'm really enjoying this," du Plessis said. "There was another guy trying to take my shine. Israel Adesanya, get your ass back in the UFC so we can settle the score."

Strickland won the belt from Adesanya in September when he was slotted into a title fight after du Plessis wasn't ready to take a title shot.

After his loss, Strickland gave credit to du Plessis while mentioning the possibility of a rematch.

"I called it from day one it was going to be a f---ing war," Strickland said after the scorecards were read. "Hats off to the new champ. It was a f---ing war. I'm salty, I thought I won that but maybe I was a p----. We can run it back. ... Congrats, champ. You're the man. I'm out of here."

With the win, du Plessis improved to 7-0 in the UFC. Strickland was just the second man in du Plessis' career to take him to the judges' scorecards and the first since Brad Tavares at UFC 276 in July 2022.

In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington completed a 12-year journey to earn the women's bantamweight title by outpointing Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington escaped a pair of dire positions where Bueno Silva appeared close to securing submissions and rallied to do more damage on the feet. She closed the show by chasing a submission as Bueno Silva completely ran out of gas. Pennington has amassed an incredible resume over the years and has finally reached the mountaintop after her friend and longtime rival Amanda Nunes announced her retirement last year.

Elsewhere, Neil Magny scored a shocking upset TKO win over Mike Malott with just 15 seconds left in their fight. Malott controlled the entirety of the first two rounds and appeared well on his way to victory until he made a critical mistake in the grappling game, which led to Magny picking him up and slamming him down. After that, Malott was clearly out of gas as Magny poured on punches from the top and Malott could no longer defend himself. 

CBS Sports was with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 297 below.

UFC 297 card, results

• Dricus du Plessis def. Sean Strickland (c) via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
  
• Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva def. via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
• Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via third-round TKO (punches)
• Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
• Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Sean Woodson def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ramon Taveras def. Serhiy Sidey via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana via second-round TKO (punches)
• Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
• Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira via third-round submission (D'arce choke)
• Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via second-round submission (triangle choke)

[Jan 21, 2024 at 1:37 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Official result: Dricus du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to become the new UFC middleweight champion.

[Jan 21, 2024 at 1:35 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis -- Round 5: Strickland's jab snaps back du Plessis' head. Lots of jabs early from the champ. An uppercut lands for Strickland. A right-hand lands for DDP. Strickland caught du Plessis clean with a punch. A nice one-two by Strickland. A sweeping right hand caught du Plessis over his guard. A great low kick by du Plessis followed by a head kick. Strickland partially landed two swooping right hands. Right-hand lands for du Plessis. Great sprawl by Strickland to avoid the takedown. A jab to the body by du Plessis. Another clubbbing right hand lands for Strickland followed by a straight right. The champ is doing a great job of staying out of range of DDP's punches. Stiff jab by Strickland followed by another successful sprawl. Both guys eat hard punches. A nice body kick by the challenger. Strickland is really letting that right hand swing. A nice, sloppy brawl to close the show. I think it all comes down to how you score that swing third round. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Strickland (49-48 du Plessis overall).

[Jan 21, 2024 at 1:28 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis -- Round 4: Strickland with a nice counter combination early. Du Plessis winging big strikes. Du Plessis appeared to cut Strickland with an elbow at the end of a combination. Du Plessis shoots the takedown but doesn't get it. Strickland momentarily stuns the challenge with a right hook. Another hard punch for the champion. Lots of blood trickled down the side of Strickland's face. A nice left hook by DDP. Both guys opening up and absorbing blows. Du Plessis hooks the leg during a clinch and gets the takedown. Strickland walks up the fence and breaks free. A right hand badly opened the cut under Strickland's right eye. A straight right hand got Strickland's attention. A head kick partially landed for DDP. Another takedown for du Plessis. Strickland gets up with 40 seconds left. A nice jab and overhand right for Strickland. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 du Plessis (39-37 du Plessis overall).

[Jan 21, 2024 at 1:23 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis -- Round 3: Du Plessis' left eye is nearly swollen shut. A high kick landed for du Plessis. A nice low kick for the challenger. Another leg kick landed for du Plessis. A lot of punches missing or being blocked on both sides. Du Plessis with a hard lead kick to the body. A great leg kick by du Plessis. The challenger is constantly pressing forward and throwing. Some nice jabs by Strickland now. A counter double jab for Strickland. Du Plessis blitzed forward and landed partially. A nice left hook by Strickland to end the round. That was probably the closest round of the fight but du Plessis landed the harder strikes. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 du Plessis (29-28 du Plessis overall)

[Jan 21, 2024 at 1:16 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis -- Round 2: Strickland throwing out the jab. Du Plessis winged an overhand right but missed. A nice leg kick for du Plessis but the second one was checked. A spinning back fist landed for du Plessis. Strickland had nearly doubled du Plessis in significant strikes by the six-minute mark of the fight. An awkward lead punch put the challenger off balance for a moment. Du Plessis used feints to back Strickland up but he couldn't get the champ to the fence. Another leg kick was checked. Strickland is doing a fantastic job of leaning back to avoid shots and deflecting them off his shoulders and arms. Strickland's Philly Shell variant has developed very effectively in recent years. A pair of wide body hooks landed flush for du Plessis. A nice overhand right and left body kick landed for the challenger. A long left hook caught Strickland on the nose. Another overhand right found the mark for du Plessis followed by a single-leg takedown. Blood is trickling over Strickland's right eyebrow. Strickland with a clever switch to get back to a standing position. A double jab lands for du Plessis. Some significant swelling around du Plessis' left eye. Du Plessis landed enough harder punches late that I could see him winning a close round. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 du Plessis (19-19 overall).

[Jan 21, 2024 at 1:10 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis -- Round 1: Du Plessis opened with a sneaky head kick. Strickland working a stiff jab while leaning away from the challenger's power punches. Stiff leg kicks from du Plessis. Strickland caught onto the leg kicks early and checked them masterfully. Those well-timed leg kicks deterred Israel Adesanya last year and it could deter DDP as well. A hard body kick lands for du Plessis. The challenger continued to use body kicks to pressure Strickland back. The champion turned the corner just in time and circled center. Strickland checked another leg kick. Du Plessis threw a head kick but Strickland blocked it on the shoulder. Du Plessis barrelled into a double-leg takedown and got it after some resistance. Strickland returned to his feet soon enough. Strickland's jabs have noticeably damaged du Plessi's nose and under the right eye. Strickland landed his best punch of the fight at the buzzer. Strong start for the champion. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Strickland.

[Jan 21, 2024 at 12:58 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

It's time for the main event! UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland makes the walk accompanied by his coaching staff and UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Challenger Dricus du Plessis is already in the Octagon.

[Jan 21, 2024 at 12:44 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Official result: Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) to win the vacant UFC women's bantamweight championship

[Jan 21, 2024 at 12:42 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington -- Round 5: Pennington drove Silva right back into the cage, leaving Silva looking exhausted and desperate. In short order, Silva found herself on her back and under the full mount of Pennington. Pennington worked an arm-triangle choke but didn't pass to the side to secure it, remaining in full mount. Pennington continued to work the choke but couldn't get the finish. Silva fought free but Pennington tried to go back to the same choke, this time as Silva regained half guard. Pennington moved back to her feet, standing over Silva and throwing kicks to the legs until the final horn, seemingly securing the championship.

[Jan 21, 2024 at 12:35 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington -- Round 4: Silva looked absolutely exhausted after Round 3. Pennington landed a big shot to start the round, trying to take advantage of that fatigue. Silva drove in to try and pin Pennington to the cage but quickly got reversed. Pennington worked knees in the clinch. Silva landed a few nice elbows after reversing Pennington against the cage. Silva moved to the back and dragged the fight to the round and tried to lock in a rear-naked choke again but again Pennington managed to survive, turning and ending up on top. Pennington just dropped elbows to the body. Silva threw a leg over and tried to lock in an armbar but the submission was not there. Silva tried another submission, throwing up a triangle choke but Pennington easily escaped. Pennington dropped ground and pound to the end of the round.

[Jan 21, 2024 at 12:29 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington -- Round 3: Pennington opened up with strikes to start the round again but quickly found herself in another body lock against the cage. The women exchanged positions several times, battling for who would have the other's back along the fence. Silva used a sweep to nearly score a takedown but Pennington escaped right back to her feet before nearly being caught in a choke. Back in the clinch, Silva landed a few hard elbows before nearly scoring another takedown. Silva ended up on her back with Pennington standing over her throwing leg kicks, apparently showing some obvious signs of fatigue. Silva tried for another takedown when the fight went back to the feet but ended up on her back once again.