UFC 297 live stream results and play-by-play updates: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis middleweight championship title fight tops the UFC 297 pay-per-view (PPV) main card on ESPN+ TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024) from inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a five-round showdown to kick off the promotion’s 2024 PPV fight campaign. UFC 297’s co-main event — also scheduled for five, five-minute rounds — features former women’s bantamweight title challenger, Raquel Pennington, taking on surging Brazilian bruiser, Mayra Bueno Silva, for the vacant 135-pound strap. Well-traveled UFC veterans Neil Magny, Chris Curtis and Arnold Allen will also see PPV action this weekend in “Hogtown.”
UFC 297’s five-fight PPV main card gets underway TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET, starting with the featherweight mashup between Arnold Allen and Movsar Evloev. Get complete UFC 297 PPV main card LIVE results and real-time play-by-play updates below. In addition, we’re also covering the UFC 297 “Prelims” undercard bouts streaming on ESPN and ESPN+ in a separate thread RIGHT HERE, beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC 297 action at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Strickland vs. Du Plessis.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 297 main card PPV results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC 297 ESPN+ QUICK RESULTS:
185 lbs.: UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
135 lbs.: Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva for vacant Bantamweight belt
170 lbs.: Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott
185 lbs.: Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault — Curtis def. Barriault by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
145 lbs.: Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev — Evloev def. Allen by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
135 lbs.: Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield — Armfield def. Katona by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
145 lbs.: Charles Jourdain vs. Sean Woodson — Woodson def. Jourdain by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28
135 lbs.: Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras — Taveras def. Sidey by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
115 lbs.: Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana — Robertson def. Viana by TKO (punches) at 3:12 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS!
170 lbs.: Yohan Lainesse vs. Sam Patterson — Patterson def. Lainesse by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:03 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
135 lbs.: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Priscila Cachoeira — Jasudavicius def. Cachoeira by submission (d’arce choke) at 4:21 of Round Three
125 lbs.: Malcolm Gordon vs. Jimmy Flick — Flick def. Gordon by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:17 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS!
UFC 297 PPV MAIN CARD PLAY-BY-PLAY:
185 lbs.: UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Final result:
135 lbs.: Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva for vacant bantamweight title
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Final result:
170 lbs.: Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott
Round 1: Malott, having done his homework, goes right to the leg kicks. Magny still hasn’t learned how to check them. One minute in. Superman punch and head kick fall short for Malott, who avoids a blitz. Magny ties up after eating an overhand right, Malott reverses and separates. Both whiff with punches two minutes in. Another low kick lands for Malott. Magny just avoids a head kick and ties up. Jockeying for position against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Malott pressing Magny against the fence. Magny peels him off with an underhook and they return to range. Magny blitzes, lands a 2-3 on the exit. Calf kick visibly damages Magny’s left leg. Another low kick from Malott. One minute to go. Left hook by Malott behind an overhand right. More low kicks. Magny keeping his distance and not throwing much. One more low kick before the bell. 10-9 Malott.
Round 2: Magny tries his own low kick, which Malott checks. Hard right cross from Malott soon after. Magny rushes, hits air. Malott 2-3 just misses. One minute in. Inside low kick. Body kick soon after. Magny rushes again and Malott times a level change to take him down into half guard. Malott stands over him and kicks his legs before letting him up. Two minutes in. Magny gets double unders, but Malott slips in an underhook and muscles him down into half guard again. Malott trying to posture. Two minutes to go.
Decent elbow by Malott. Magny avoids a kimura and Malott stands over him, diving into side control with a right hand before moving right to mount.Malott postured up, trying to drop punches. One minute to go. Magny trying to turn into him. He latches onto Malott’s midsection and eats elbows to the top of the head. More ground-and-pound from Malott. 10-9 Malott.
Round 3:
Final result:
185 lbs.: Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
Round 1: Curtis on the front foot as both men hop in and out of range without throwing. One minute in. Low kick from Curtis. Blocked head kick to right cross by Barriault. Another right cross lands clean for him. Two minutes in. Barriault circling, pops him with a couple more straight rights. Body kick to straight right. Two minutes to go.
Body kick from Barriault met by a left hand downstairs. Front kick just misses. Low kick from Barriault, blocked head kick to straight right. Curtis trying to taunt. Body shot lands for him with a minute to go. Straight left from Curtis, who tries a flurry. Low kick to right hand by Barriault, who eats some short hooks and comes back with an uppercut. Curtis lands another body shot and they trade jabs. 10-9 Barriault.
Round 2: 1-1-2 from Curtis to start. Low kick lands for him. Barriault looks for right hands inside. Right cross connects, jab behind it. One minute in. Short left by Barriault. Low kicks behind it. Body kick, 1-2 falls short. Right hand to the body. Barriault outworking him at the moment, though not by much. Two minutes in. They trade right hands in the center. Tight combination by Curtis, Barriault fires right hands in return. Barriault’s cut on the bridge of his nose. Curtis body kick, Barriault body knee. Good body shots by Curtis, who complains of a headbutt. Nice straight left with two minutes to go.
Curtis 1-2, Barriault body kick. Curtis sneaks in an uppercut. Snap kick by Barriault and they trade inside. One minute to go. Back-and-forth exchanges in center cage. Lead rights from Barriault, straight lefts by Curtis. Low kick to straight right lands for Barriault, who eats a body shot and steps in with an elbow. 10-9 Curtis.
Round 3: Back to the tit-for-tat exchanges. Curtis getting the better of it at the moment. Both landing well to the body. One minute in. Body kick from Barriault. Curtis doing better on the inside, Barriault at range. Barriault low kicks, Curtis angling off with hooks. Two minutes in. Knee exchange, solid punches from Barriault on the exit. He tries a lead elbow after absorbing a combo. Elbow exchange, then some clubbing rights by Barriault. Nice elbow that Curtis answers with uppercuts. Big Barriault uppercut, Curtis body shots in return. Bludgeoning each other inside with two minutes to go.
Barriault trying to maul inside, gets backed off by an uppercut. Curtis overpowering him in the phone booth. One minute to go. Barriault still trying to wade after him. They grab single collar ties and club each other for a bit. Point-blank violence. They continue to blast each other with punches and elbows until the bell. 10-9 Curtis.
Final result: Curtis def. Barriault by split decision
145 lbs.: Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
Round 1: Solid body kick from Evloev. Counter left by Allen when he tries it again. Allen looking for straight shots. Body jab a minute in. Hard left downstairs. Again. Evloev changes levels, can’t find the single-leg, puts him on the fence two minutes in. Allen breaks his grip and separates 30 seconds later. Stiff jab from Evloev. Neither landing clean with two minutes to go.
Evloev tries a head kick. Lead right into a combination. He shoots, Allen angles away. The next shot is better and he looks for Allen’s back. Nice granby roll by Allen, who looks for a guillotine when Evloev shoots back in. The scramble continues for some time, Evloev refusing to let go of the body lock. He hits a series of mat returns in the final seconds. 10-9 Allen.
Round 2: Low kick lands for Evloev. Body kick soon after. Allen keeping his lead hand low to dissuade the takedown as he flicks out jabs. One minute in. Evloev tries a head kick and Allen tries his own, falling short with follow-up punches. Quick lead right by Evloev. Allen catches a head kick, doesn’t jump on him. Two minutes in and no real action so far. Lead right into a level change by Evloev, who avoids a guillotine to land on top in half guard. Allen immediately gets to his feet, throwing elbows behind his back. Evloev dumps him down a second time and takes him to the fence. Allen looking to set up the ninja choke, Evloev aware of it. Two minutes to go.
Allen turns and separates. Evloev tries a body kick. Nice jump knee by Evloev appears to land clean. Allen answers with a body shot. One minute to go. Straight left from Allen, double right by Evloev, Allen body shot. Stiff jab catches Allen coming in and he’s hurt. Evloev stays patient, lands a jump knee to the body. Overhand right and head kick glance off. Stiff jab. Allen catches a kick before the bell. 10-9 Evloev.
Round 3: Overhand left and counter uppercut from Allen to start things off. Evloev tries a front kick, avoids a 1-2. Big combination from Allen and a 1-2 behind it. Trading punches. One minute in. Brief slip from Evloev, low kick behind it. Body shot lands for Allen, who eats a lead right. 1-2 from Allen. Evloev shoots behind a straight right and Allen sprawls on it. Allen keeps the front headlock as they rise and starts firing knees, even as Evloev drags his hand along on the mat. The hand was never weight-bearing, but the ref still pauses the action. Evloev has a big cut on the temple and they pause to examine it, then the ref elects not to take a point from Allen. Allen comes back from the break firing. Two minutes in. Nice body shot from Allen, who eats a body kick. Evloev fakes a jab, shoots, denied, lands a right on the exit. Another quick sprawl by Allen. Evloev keeps trying the lead right to level change and Allen’s wise to it. Counter knee lands for Evloev. Two minutes to go.
Body kick by Evloev, body punch by Allen. Allen slips in pursuit, pops back up. More body work from Allen, who snatches the ninja choke when Evloev next shoots. Evloev rolls for his lufe and manages to pop his head free as the scramble continues. Allen stands, Evloev still attached with a minute to go. Evloev can’t get the drag-down back take, stays attached. Nice behind-the-back elbows by Allen. He separates with 10 seconds to go and chases Evloev until the bell. 10-9 Allen; comes down to how they scored the first.
Final result: Evloev def. Allen by unanimous decision
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.