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Printed Nov 06, 2023 • 2 minute learn
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American Sean Strickland will make his first middleweight title defence towards South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in Toronto on Jan. 20.
The matchup of two exhausting hitters was one in every of three deliberate bouts within the New Yr introduced Monday by UFC president Dana White in a social media submit. Strickland confirmed the time and place in a separate submit.
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The January card would be the UFC’s first in Toronto since Dec. 8, 2018, when then-featherweight champion Max Holloway received a bloody, lopsided TKO over No. 1 challenger Brian Ortega throughout UFC 231 at Scotiabank Area.
Strickland (28-5-0) received the 185-pound title in September when he upset Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia.
Du Plessis (20-2-0) has received his final eight fights, together with all six within the UFC. 5 of these UFC victories have been by stoppage. He’s ranked second amongst middleweight contenders behind the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-based Adesanya.
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Strickland, not identified for his filter, didn’t welcome information of preventing north of the border.
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“Effectively Canada, time to carry you all some freedom,” he stated on Instagram. “Didn’t need to struggle in January or in Canada, however was requested to assist a few girls do their job. They usually name me sexist.”
That seems to be a reference to a struggle between American Raquel Pennington and Brazil’s Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant UFC ladies’s bantamweight title that reportedly can even be on the Toronto card.
Strickland got here underneath fireplace for sexist and misogynistic feedback at a information convention earlier than UFC 293.
His social media submit featured a pro-U.S. raunchy music clip from the 2004 movie Workforce America: World Police.
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Du Plessis is coming off a TKO win over former champion Robert Whittaker in a UFC 290 title eliminator bout in July.
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The opposite fights introduced by White had been UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski of Australia towards No. 5 contender Ilia Topuria of Spain in February at UFC 298 and bantamweight titleholder Sean O’Malley of the U.S. towards Ecuador’s Marlon Vera in March at UFC 299.
“Busting into the brand new 12 months with some enjoyable fights,” stated White.
The UFC has held 32 playing cards in Canada, debuting in April 2008 with UFC 83 in Montreal with the latest occasion being UFC 289 in June in Vancouver. The reveals have taken place in 11 cities with Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Moncton, N.B., Ottawa, Quebec Metropolis, Saskatoon and Winnipeg additionally internet hosting UFC playing cards.
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