Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis face off ahead of UFC 297 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC 297 takes place this Saturday as the UFC returns to Toronto for the first time since 2018 and its brought two title fights with it. In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington faces Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight title, and then in the main event, Sean Strickland puts his middleweight strap on the line against Dricus du Plessis. The No Bets Barred boys are here to cover every angle of 2024’s first PPV event.
This week, hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew are joined by Alexander K. Lee who is boots on the ground in Toronto for this fight card, where they get a look into the vibes in Canada ahead of UFC 297. Then it’s right into the breakdowns where the boys discuss the likelihood of finishes in the main and co-main events, the return of Flyweight Unders, and even some specialty props ahead of what is sure to be a heated pre-fight press conference.
Tune in for episode 75 of No Bets Barred.
New episodes of the No Bets Barred podcast drop every Wednesday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. The latest episode can be heard below.
Sean Strickland has opened the door for a potential rematch with Israel Adesanya at UFC 300.
After scoring a stunning upset against ‘The Last Stylebender’ to claim the middleweight world championship in September, Strickland will return to the Octagon on Saturday night (January 20) to defend his title for the first time against No. 2 ranked contender Dricus Du Plessis. The two strikers will headline the promotion’s return to Toronto where fight fans will also witness the coronation of a new bantamweight queen.
The UFC’s return to The Great White North comes three months ahead of one of the most anticipated events in the promotion’s 30+ year history.
Dana White has already stacked UFC 300 with a plethora of can’t-miss clashes, including a recently-announced BMF bout between Justin Gaethje and former featherweight champ Max Holloway. However, the event is shockingly light on title tilts with only Zhang Weili scheduled to defend her strawweight strap against fellow Chinese star Yan Xianon thus far.
Leon Edwards is rumored to defend his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad at the event, but the prospect of that fight isn’t exactly setting the MMA world on fire.
It is possible that the UFC could slap together a middleweight title showcase for UFC 300, depending on who comes out on top in ‘Hogtown’ and the damage sustained. Asked about making the relatively quick turnaround for a rematch with Adesanya at the massive milestone event, Sean Strickland indicated that he’s certainly open to the idea, so long as the UFC comes correct with an offer.
“As with all things, how much money you paying me? As of now, no,” Strickland told members of the press on Wednesday. “But how much money you paying me?”
If successful on Saturday night Sean Strickland is willing to make a quick turnaround and rematch Israel Adesanya at UFC 300 as long as he secures the bag #UFC297 | Live on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/i1qATNe3u2
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 17, 2024
Following his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya indicated that he would take a lengthy break away from the fight game, but the ‘Stylebender’ has seemingly nixed those plans, suggesting a return to the cage is closer than we think.
“Me right now, I’m taking my time,” Adesanya said during an interview with iFL TV in December. “My last few fights, I had four fights in 14 months as a champion in the UFC. That’s unheard of. I was the most active champion, not fighter, champion in the league. So life has forced me to take some time off and I will, but you will see me soon.”
Are you interested in seeing Adesanya and Strickland run it back as part of the biggest event in UFC history?
Donn Davis | Photo By Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile for Collision via Getty Images
Donn Davis and PFL are having a very good week.
On Tuesday, PFL announced it will begin 2024 with the much-anticipated PFL vs. Bellator supercard, which takes place on Feb. 24 in Riydah, Saudi Arabia, and features four champion vs. champion fights. The news came one day after reports surfaced that the UFC’s planned debut event in Saudi Arabia was being postponed from March 2 to June as a result of discontent from Saudi officials over card quality.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Wednesday, Davis said that’s not a accident.
“I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the UFC March 2 card was cancelled the day before our fight [announcement],” Davis said. “Those who know MMA said, ‘That is not a mega-event. That is not worthy of being hosted in Saudi Arabia. That is a poor fight-quality card the UFC put forth on March 2.’”
Of course, Davis isn’t suggesting the UFC is incapable of putting together a great card for Saudi Arabia, merely that they were not focused on it to the same extent that PFL was.
“Could UFC load up a card and have a mega-card? They could!” Davis continued. “Do they do it that often? They don’t. We’re going to do it every time we do it, and so our partners who are host partners, like Saudi Arabia — our partners who are PPV partners like DAZN or ESPN+, they know they can count on us for these two fights a year, best of the best of the best. That’s how we’re thinking about it in terms of the business model going forward.”
2024 figures to be a major year for PFL following the acquisition of Bellator, and the PFL vs. Bellator supercard is the promotion’s first step toward taking a “co-leader” role within the MMA space in 2024.
Though it’s still early, Davis was thrilled with how the announcement landed among MMA fans on Tuesday and believes it’s another step toward showing that PFL has something substantial to offer MMA fans.
“More than happy,” Davis said of the reaction. “When we sat down, we said, what’s every single fight we could give MMA fans? If you don’t see it on this card, you know why it’s not on this card? Injury or conflict. We held nothing back for fans. So we’re delighted with how it came together. …
“I think whatever perspective you came from — current fan, skeptical, or not yet a fan — you moved up two or three notches in terms of interest and certainly respect. And that’s what we’re trying to do. All we’re trying to tell fans is, MMA is big. There are 650 million fans out there. UFC puts on a great product. We put on a different and unique, great product. Check it out. It’s not either-or. This ain’t Coke or Pepsi. PFL is doing a whole different things. PFL is doing a whole different thing for fans and fighters, and I think yesterday, people started to get that vibe.”
Sean Strickland has established himself as one of the most controversial trash talkers in the sport and he often has no boundaries when talking about opposing fighters.
The middleweight king is preparing to defend his throne on Saturday against a man with whom he seemingly has a growing feud. The challenger, Dricus Du Plessis, struck a nerve in the champion when he mentioned his past childhood trauma in a successful attempt to get under his skin.
After becoming emotional, attacking Du Plessis at UFC 296 and threatening Du Plessis on his podcast, many began questioning whether Sean Strickland could handle trash talk. He then compared his situation to that of fellow UFC stars.
“The difference is, and I was just telling DC this. Dude, you went on a podcast and you joked about calling a homie to f*** your wife,” Strickland said while comparing his situation to O’Malley’s. “I didn’t go and make fun of anything that you didn’t joke about. This isn’t traumatic for you.”
“Or like the cuck Ian Garry. I didn’t go out and make up the definition of WAG, your WAG. You went out and put your wife front and center. You put her front and f***ing center.”
“You made her design a shirt, you made her f***ing hold a baby while you wear, laughing. You put her front and center, you are a f***ing cuck.”
Despite being one of the most vocal athletes in the UFC, some fans have begun to mock Strickland with a ‘give it but can’t take it jibe’. The star has now reacted to those comments.
“I go hard on everybody, sometimes some sh*t gets on me. I’m fully aware of that,” Strickland said to the fans’ recent comments. “It is what it is, man.”
“Here’s the thing guys, I don’t need to be f***ing right. The people, f*** the people. If one day I wake up and like the cuck Ian Garry everyone hates me, do you think I give a f***?”
“Do you think I give a f*** if I walk down the street and someone says, ‘There’s Sean Strickland, f*** him.’ I don’t care. Enjoy motherf***er. You better just do it far enough away because I’ll hit you.”
Related: Israel Adesanya give his pick for Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
“I’m not f***ing Colby Covington, bro. I’m not Chris Curtis, I’m not going to delete my f***ing Twitter. Enjoy man. You want to go call me a f***ing, you know, whatever you want. Enjoy. Have at it. Just do it online.”
Showing vulnerability for the first time has helped many see the human side of the 32-year-old who had previously seemed somewhat emotionless.
Sean Strickland will take on Dricus Du Plessis as he puts his middleweight title on the line for the first time at UFC 297 on January 20.
Check out what Strickland had to say in the video below.
The third episode of UFC 297 Embedded features UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland appearing to bury the hatchet with opponent Dricus du Plessis, Strickland going to Niagara Falls and Bass Pro Shops, du Plessis getting in some padwork, Mayra Bueno Silva and Chris Curtis being shocked at the cold of Toronto, and more.
#UFC297 | Live on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/i1qATNe3u2
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