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UFC 297 is set to mark the pay-per-view debut of 2024 with a highly anticipated fight card scheduled this weekend at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
To step into the octagon on Saturday (January 20) night, fighters must endure the demanding procedure of weight-cutting. The official weigh-in for UFC 297 is scheduled to commence at 9 AM ET/6 AM PT on Friday (January 19) in the United States, which translates to a 2 PM GMT start in the United Kingdom.
While the event is not open to the public, fans have the option to watch the live weigh-in show on UFC.com and the official social media channels of the MMA promotion, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.
In the main event, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is preparing for his inaugural title defense against Dricus du Plessis, who is on the brink of becoming the first South African fighter to participate in a UFC title bout.
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva are set to compete for the vacant bantamweight title, left unclaimed since former two-division champ Amanda Nunes retired following her unanimous decision victory against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023.
Sean Strickland shares insights into weight-cut process ahead of UFC 297
During UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 3,' Sean Strickland expressed that the weight-cutting process throughout fight week poses a greater challenge compared to the actual fight:
"The only thing that I really focus on is making weight. Fighting is the easy part, it's going there, and fighting lasts 25 minutes. I hate this sh*t. I can spar endless times, endless, if you wanna have me spar 10, or 15 rounds, no problem. You told me to f**k around, I f**king hate it."
He added:
"The next three days kinda suck, tomorrow after I wake up I'll do a nice jog, media day all day. Then I go out to my buddy's gym who I talk to. Then, on Wednesday, repeat. Thursday, cut weight. We get paid to make weight, not to fight. F**king sucks."
Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (4:21):
