UFC 297 Predictions: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Picks
Saturday's UFC 297 card will mark the promotion's first stop in Toronto since December of 2018, when Max Holloway beat the breaks off Brian Ortega to defend his title. This time around, the promotion is bringing two title fights to the snow-covered Canadian city.
In the main event, middleweight champion Sean Strickland will attempt to defend his title against streaking South African contender Dricus Du Plessis. It's a compelling matchup on paper, but much of the pre-fight talk surrounds the pair's recent war of words, and their infamous brawl in the crowd at last month's UFC 296 event in Las Vegas.
In the co-main event, the UFC will crown a new women's bantamweight champion, with the streaking veteran Raquel Pennington taking on Brazilian finisher Mayra Bueno Silva for a seat on the throne that has been vacant since the great Amanda Nunes retired last year.
The card will also feature the latest UFC appearance from Canadian welterweight Mike Malott who, after three-straight stoppage wins in the Octagon, is already drawing comparisons to Canadian MMA legend Georges St-Pierre. He'll face the biggest test of his career – and attempt to earn a spot in the rankings – against long-serving veteran Neil Magny.
Before that, Canadian middleweight Marc-Andre Barriault will also attempt to score a spot in the rankings against No. 14 contender Chris Curtis, and England's Arnold Allen will take on Russia's Movsar Evloev in a clash of top-10 featherweight contenders to kick off the main card.
All five main card fights could seemingly go either way, which will make for some exciting viewing on the night. Keep scrolling to see how the B/R combat sports squad sees it all going down.
Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
1 of 5
Haris Kruskic: Well, this should be fun.
The war of words between these two led to a viral brawl at UFC 296. Dricus Du Plessis seems to enjoy getting under Sean Strickland's skin, but will that translate to UFC gold?
I'm having trouble forgetting that Du Plessis' cardio looked incredibly suspect in recent fights against Derek Brunson and Darren Till. He claims that nose surgery fixed his breathing problems, but call me skeptical.
Strickland is the last person anyone with questionable cardio should fight. I think he'll walk DDP down and keep a daunting pace en route to a stoppage.
Prediction: Strickland by TKO, Rd. 4
Tom Taylor: Haris is bang on.
Du Plessis is one of the most dangerous finishers in the middleweight division – just ask Till, Brunson and Robert Whittaker – but he has shown signs of fatigue in some of his fights. Strickland, on the other hand, is a master at tiring his opponents out and overwhelming them with his pace and pressure.
I think Du Plessis will have some big moments in the first round or two, but even if his cardio holds up for five rounds, he'll be slower and less active than Strickland in the back half of the fight. That will be the deciding factor.
Du Plessis wins some early battles, but Strickland wins the war.
Prediction: Strickland by unanimous decision
Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
2 of 5
Haris Kruskic: Raquel Pennington's five-fight win streak has gone largely unnoticed by fans, but she's put on good and steady performances for years now. One doesn't stick around in the UFC for ten years without having that in their game.
It just seems like Mayra Bueno Silva's time is now. She's been nothing short of dominant since moving up to bantamweight in 2022. Pennington hasn't faced this level of grappling since Amanda Nunes in 2018, and I'm not sure she's diverse enough to withstand Bueno Silva's level of top pressure.
Prediction: Bueno Silva by submission, Rd. 2
Tom Taylor: Once again, it's hard to argue with Haris.
At this point, there's no questioning Pennington's status as one of the best bantamweights in UFC history. She's beaten pretty much everyone she's met in the Octagon with the exception of greats like Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm.
Still, this feels like Bueno Silva's moment. The Brazilian's recent submission over Holm may have been overturned due to a failed drug test, but it's hard to forget the image of her nearly yanking the former champ's head off.
Pennington will be hard to finish – only Nunes has stopped her in the Octagon – but Bueno Silva will eventually find a way. Like Haris, I see it happening on the mat, just a little later in the fight.
Prediction: Bueno Silva by submission, Rd. 4
Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott
3 of 5
Haris Kruskic: Whenever we make our predictions, I'll often bring up "passing of the torch" fights. There's no better example than Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott.
Malott has looked incredible since entering the UFC in 2022. It's no wonder the UFC brass decided to throw the Canadian on the featured fight of a pay-per-view in Toronto. He's electric.
Meanwhile, Magny has been thrown to the wolves over the last couple years, losing to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns and Ian Machado Garry. There's still clearly gas in the veteran's tank, but 31 UFC fights is a lot of wear and tear to take. It just feels like the wheels are going to start falling off sooner than later. If that's the case, Malott is not someone you want to be fighting.
Prediction: Malott by submission, Rd. 2
Tom Taylor: Neil Magny has become the guy to beat for anybody looking to crack the welterweight Top 15.
Just like Rakhmonov and Garry before him, surging Canadian finisher Malott will now have his chance against the experienced veteran.
I'd pick Malott to win this fight anywhere on earth, but in Toronto, where he will have the support of what's sure to be a passionate Canadian crowd, it's even harder to see him messing this up. The 32-year-old thumps Magny on the feet to set up a stoppage on the mat, and assert himself as the most promising Canadian contender since Rory MacDonald.
Prediction: Malott by submission, Rd. 1
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chris Curtis
4 of 5
Haris Kruskic: Chris Curtis has sneaky good wins over Brendan Allen, Rodolfo Vieira and Joaquin Buckley over the last two years. There's a reason he's ranked now. Meanwhile, Marc-André Barriault doesn't have a standout performance that makes me confident in him. It's really that simple.
Prediction: Curtis by unanimous decision
Tom Taylor: Here's where Haris and I finally diverge.
I agree that Curtis has a better resume than Barriault at this point, but I think Barriault's size, power, and aggression will be the key in this fight. Spurred on by the crowd, the French-Canadian will walk Curtis down, eat some hard shots, but land the bigger ones over the course of a fun 15 minutes that will have fans praising both fighters in the aftermath.
Prediction: Barriault by unanimous decision
Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
5 of 5
Haris Kruskic: Other than Strickland vs. Du Plessis, I'm most excited for this fight. These are two very high-level fighters with a lot on the line. Arnold Allen is coming off his only UFC loss in an admirable showing against Max Holloway. Movsar Evloev is 17-0 but hasn't shown much diversity in his skillset aside from his wrestling. Both fighters will be knocking on the door of a title shot with a win here.
With that said, give me Allen. I don't believe Evloev can hold the Englishman down long enough to neutralize his well-roundedness. This fight may get cagey at times, but Allen does just enough to squeak out a decision win. Down goes 17-0.
Prediction: Allen by split decision
Tom Taylor: Evloev's 17-0 record is very impressive, and he's looked great in his first seven Octagon appearances, but I have never really bought him as a serious title threat. As Haris said, his game is a bit one-dimensional, and he also hasn't shown much killer instinct. To me, he's always looked like the kind of fighter who will beat most of the opposition he meets, but struggle against the cream of the crop.
Allen definitely fits into that category.
The Brit is good enough at grappling to force Evloev into a striking match, and while he certainly isn't as dangerous as featherweights like Edson Barboza or Josh Emmett on the feet, he should be good enough to beat the Russian up.
Prediction: Allen by unanimous decision
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