UFC 297 post-event facts: Dricus Du Plessis, Raquel Pennington make history in title wins

The best facts to come out of UFC 297, which saw two new champions crowned with historic achievements attached to both new reigns.

The UFC’s first pay-per-view of the year is likely to prove to be far from the most memorable, but UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto did prove significant with two new champions crowned.

In the main event, [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) edged [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) by split decision in the Fight of the Night to claim the middleweight championship. In the co-headliner, [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) outlasted [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) for a unanimous decision for the vacant women’s bantamweight title.

For more on the numbers behind the title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts for UFC 297.

UFC 297 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean Strickland’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 297 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $285,500.

TORONTO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 297 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $285,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 297 took place at Scotiabank Arena in Canada. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 297 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ramon Taveras[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Serhiy Sidey[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yohan Lainesse[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $445,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,152,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona at UFC 297: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Garrett Armfield’s unanimous decision win over Brad Katona at UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag] at UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Photos by Dan Hamilton, USA Today Sports)

Brad Katona explains why he sees UFC 297 fight vs. Garrett Armfield as career full circle moment

Brad Katona is having a full circle moment in his fighting career at UFC 297.

TORONTO – It looks like everything was meant to be for [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag] to be fighting at UFC 297.

Katona (13-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a two-time winner of The Ultimate Fighter, feels he’s hitting a “full circle” in his fighting career this Saturday when he takes on [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag] to close out the preliminary card of UFC 297. It’s a weird coincidence, but also a good omen for Katona’s return to the octagon.

“If we’re talking about full circle, the first time I did The Ultimate Fighter, my first fight was UFC Toronto. It was UFC 231,” Katona explained at Wednesday’s UFC 297 media day. “And now, this time I came from the finale again and my first fight is UFC Toronto. So, completely full circle and looking to replicate history and getting that W again.”

Katona won The Ultimate Fighter tournament in July 2018. He then made his first regular UFC appearance at UFC 231 in Toronto in December of that same year.

The Canadian went on to lose his next two bouts and was cut from the promotion. Almost four years after his UFC release, Katona joined this past season of TUF and won it for a second time. Now, in his first fight after winning the show, he fights in Toronto.

Katona is determined to keep this second UFC run mirroring his first just for the first fight back. He intends to get his hand raised against Armfield (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and get his UFC career going once again.

“I was quite familiar with Armfield before taking this fight,” Katona said. “I remember watching his debut against David Onama on short notice. Every Sunday morning we watch the fights with some coffee, kind of like morning cartoons. There we were, my girlfriend and I, kind of cheering for Armfield. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the underdog. Go get the W, go get the contract. Now I’m here fighting him and that’s fine too. I have a lot of respect for him, but I’m me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Video: ‘UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis’ media day interviews

Before UFC 297 on Saturday, the main card and prelim fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

TORONTO – UFC 297 takes place Saturday at Scotiabank Arena with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each fighter’s session.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

UFC 297 pre-event facts: Can Dricus Du Plessis’ output crack Sean Strickland’s defense?

The best facts and figures about UFC 297, which sees Dricus Du Plessis’ strong offense put Sean Strickland’s record defense to the test.

The UFC on Saturday returns to Toronto for the first time since December 2018 with UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena.

The first numbered event of the year features a title fight doubleheader. In the main event, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will attempt to defend the middleweight title against [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC. In the co-headliner, [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) are set to clash for the vacant women’s bantamweight belt.

For more on the numbers behind all four championship competitors, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 297 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

UFC in 2023: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2023’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2023’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 2-8)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 2-8.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for August: Collard, Burgos produce a classic contest for PFL

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for August.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

Fresh Ink: Meet the 30 fighters the UFC signed in August 2023

Find out who joined the UFC in August and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Check out the August 2023 list below.