Despite initial plans, Sean Strickland’s first middleweight title defense will not be against Khamzat Chimaev. The switch of opponents was announced by UFC CEO Dana White who revealed that Strickland will now face Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 297 main event. Although Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman in a match dubbed a title eliminator at UFC 294 on Oct. 21, his readiness to compete in January is doubtful due to a torn ligament in his hand suffered during the bout.
UFC 297 will take place on Jan. 20 in Toronto and aside from Strickland and Du Plessis’s face-off, it will also feature Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva competing for the vacant women’s bantamweight title. Originally, Du Plessis was set to face off against then-champion Israel Adesanya in a grudge match at UFC 293. However, the South African standout was not healthy enough to fight at the event.
Strickland was given the opportunity to step in when Du Plessis couldn’t compete at UFC 293 and he seized the moment by winning a five-round verdict against “The Last Stylebender”, Adesanya. This victory allowed him to claim the 185-pound gold in Sydney on Sept. 9. Proving his consistency, Strickland has won nine of his last 11 promotional appearances dating back to October 2018. Du Plessis, a former KSW and Extreme Fighting Championship title holder on the other hand, has enjoyed a smashing start in the Octagon with victories in his first six appearances, finishing all but one opponent inside the distance. His position as the division’s No. 1 contender was solidified with a second-round technical knockout victory against ex-champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 on July 8.