UFC 297 rundown: Du Plessis-Adesanya the fight to make

TORONTO - Dricus Du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title on Saturday, defeating Sean Strickland via split decision in the UFC 297 main event at Scotiabank Arena.

In the co-headliner, Raquel Pennington became Amanda Nunes' successor by winning the vacant women's bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva.

Here are four takeaways from the first pay-per-view card of 2024.

Du Plessis-Adesanya could headline UFC 300

Dana White and Co. may have finally found their UFC 300 main event.

With several fights for April 13's landmark event being announced in recent weeks, and with a limited number of champions and superstars available, fans have been wondering what fight will serve as top billing. Perhaps the UFC was waiting to see how Du Plessis-Strickland unfolded.

Had Strickland retained the title, a rematch with former champion Israel Adesanya would've made at least some sense. But with Du Plessis capturing the belt, a grudge match against Adesanya is a no-brainer and has "UFC 300 main event" written all over it. Du Plessis showed up to the postfight press conference on crutches and his face battered, but he seemed to agree that a matchup with Adesanya in three months would be a great first title defense.

"I don't want to put a timeline on it, but UFC 300 sounds amazing," Du Plessis said.

White didn't outright say he wants Du Plessis-Adesanya next, but if you read between the lines, it sounds like he's interested in that matchup for UFC 300. The UFC CEO hinted that Du Plessis' next fight could be announced as early as next week. He said we'll have more information about a potential Adesanya comeback in the near future and that he'll announce the UFC 300 main event soon.

Du Plessis-Adesanya is one of the biggest title fights the promotion could make right now. They went back and forth in the media a lot last year and had a heated faceoff in the Octagon at UFC 290 in July - after Du Plessis' knockout win over Robert Whittaker - to promote a potential title fight. It didn't come to fruition because Du Plessis was injured, and Strickland stepped in to face Adesanya instead. Now the tables have turned with Du Plessis, not Adesanya, as champion. But the fight is arguably even bigger than it was six months ago.

Whether or not Du Plessis-Adesanya takes place at UFC 300 will ultimately come down to whether both men are healthy and ready to compete. But it's without a doubt the best option for the main event. And hopefully it happens this year regardless.

Women's bantamweight ugly without Nunes

Women's bantamweight has been one of the shallowest, least interesting UFC divisions for years. And that was with an all-time great like Amanda Nunes on the throne.

Now, Nunes is gone and things are even worse.

Before saying anything else, I want to make it clear that Pennington deserves her flowers after becoming the new champion. She's been in the UFC since a stint on "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2013, has been a top contender at 135 pounds for a long time, and has always navigated the ups and downs of her career well. Pennington paid her dues by beating the likes of Miesha Tate, Jessica Andrade, Irene Aldana, Ketlen Vieira, and now Bueno Silva. At age 35, she's the oldest champion in women's UFC history.

All of that said, this wasn't a great outcome for the future and longevity of the division. Why? It's harsh, but no one cares.

This victory was more about Pennington being No. 1 in a weak division during a small snippet in time than it was about her overcoming the odds and rising to the occasion. We're talking about a fighter who has one finish since 2016 and is one bout removed from a forgettable split-decision win over Vieira. Pennington capturing the vacant championship shows how much women's bantamweight has regressed since the glory days of Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and, of course, Nunes. SiriusXM radio host and UFC production man RJ Clifford put it best:

Bueno Silva winning the title might've at least drummed up some interest in the women's bantamweight division. She had a bit of hype behind her after rattling off four straight wins (if you count the Holm submission that was later overturned to a no-contest), and some believed she was going to be the future of the weight class, the person who made people forget about Nunes.

Instead, Nunes' shadow still looms large over the division. The results speak for themselves: Nunes, who retired as the reigning champion last June, dominated Pennington in a 2018 title defense. Yes, that was a while ago, but anybody and their mother would pick Nunes to beat Pennington again. Of course, none of this is Pennington's fault. But just like when Khabib Nurmagomedov abruptly retired as the dominant lightweight champion in 2020, it will take a lot for Pennington to convince fans she's the right person to guide the women's bantamweight ship.

And until then, the division is in a bad place.

Evloev is the present and future

Movsar Evloev is one of the best featherweights on the planet. And he will be for a long time.

The undefeated Russian took a big leap toward a title shot at UFC 297, beating No. 4-ranked contender Arnold Allen by unanimous decision in the main-card opener. It was a tough fight, but Evloev's nonstop grappling attack - and surprisingly heavy strikes - led him to his 18th professional victory in as many fights.

The featherweight division isn't short on contenders, so the commentators seem to think Evloev needs one more win before challenging for the title. But depending on how Alexander Volkanovski versus Ilia Topuria and Yair Rodriguez versus Brian Ortega 2 play out next month, Evloev could receive a title opportunity sooner than expected.

If Volkanovski and Rodriguez both win their next fights, it's unlikely the UFC would book a rematch between those two so soon. That would just about guarantee Evloev a crack at the title. Any other outcome, and it's a bit tougher to say. Ortega is popular and could get another title shot if he beats Rodriguez. And if Topuria beats Volkanovski to become the new champ, expect White and Co. to run that one back right away barring a serious injury on either side.

Either way, the point is that Evloev's time is coming sooner than later. He's only 29 years old and a nightmare matchup for anyone in the division. At some point in the next few years, I have a pretty good feeling that Evloev is going to be wearing UFC gold - and he'll be a relevant name for at least the next half-decade.

Strickland approaching superstar status

You wouldn't have believed it this time last year, but Strickland might be one of the UFC's five biggest draws right now, even without the middleweight title.

As one of the most controversial and outspoken fighters on the roster, Strickland dominated the headlines during UFC 297 fight week. No matter how you feel about his worldviews, it's clear that all press is good press in MMA these days. Strickland's social media numbers are at an all-time high, and he resonates with the kind of audience that fills arenas at UFC events. He received an overwhelmingly positive reception in Toronto all week, and fans chanted his name at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

While it's not ideal that Strickland lost the title, his stardom likely won't wane too much. Plus, Strickland will be right back in the title conversation if Adesanya beats Du Plessis. And even if that fight goes Du Plessis' way, the fact that White scored Saturday's bout in Strickland's favor is nothing but a positive for the former champ when it comes time to state his case for another title shot.

When you think of the biggest names in the UFC, Conor McGregor is still in a league of his own, with heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Adesanya, and Nate Diaz (before his 2022 departure) close behind. Bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley could cement himself as a superstar with one or two title defenses this year, Khamzat Chimaev's popularity is rising, and Bo Nickal has a lot of potential if he strings together a few impressive performances.

Strickland is right there with all of those guys. He's a pay-per-view co-main event type of fighter now. Don't expect to see him back at the UFC Apex anytime soon. And unless Strickland completely falls off a cliff in terms of his in-Octagon results, he'll be one of the biggest stars in the promotion for a while, belt or no belt.