The UFC heads to Ontario Canada as the Scotiabank Arena plays host to the promotion's first pay-per-view card of 2024. The 12 fight card will play host to some important fights for numerous divisions whilst two titles will be on the line in the main and co-main event.
Topping the card, UFC Middleweight World Champion Sean Strickland will look to make the first defence of his title against the promotionally undefeated Dricus Du Plessis. It is fair to say that there is no love lost between the two as after weeks of firing unsavoury verbal shots at each other they descended into a brawl in the crowd at UFC 296. The champion and the challenger are arguably entering the contest on the back of career best performances against Israel Adesayna and Robert Whittaker, respectively.
The co-main event will crown a new female Bantamweight champion as number two ranked Raquel Pennington squares off against the number three ranked Mayra Bueno Silva. After a loss to Holly Holm in 2020, Pennington has been on a tear. A fight fight win streak and dispatching of the likes of Aspen Ladd and Ketlen Vieria in the process has led to her second shot at UFC Bantamweight gold. Silva enters the contest riding a four fight unbeaten streak and looks to take home the title at the first time of asking.
Elsewhere on the card, Arnold Allen meets Movsar Evloev in a Featherweight clash whilst Canadian duo Mike Mallott and Marc-Andre Barriault look to earn their spots in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions with bouts against Neil Magny and Chris Curtis, respectively.
Ahead of the event, the UFC’s “Embedded” cameras are following the fighters behind the scenes as they work their way through fight week, as they arrive in Abu Dhabi and go through their pre-fight media obligations before the weigh-ins and the final faceoffs ahead of fight night.
As described on the UFC’s official YouTube channel, in Episode 1, “Champ Sean Strickland sits down with Maxx Crosby. Dricus Du Plessis acclimates to Canada. Mayra Bueno Silva trains with legends. Chris Curtis shines in the gym.”
Find the full episode below:
