For those who’ve been following any of the numerous night newscasts nationwide and throughout North America, you’d know one factor in regards to the climate of late: It’s been chilly. Many North American communities have lately been disguised as Siberia’s entrance porch.
It’s been so chilly exterior that warming facilities have been arrange for individuals who need to escape the frigid air. The nippiness has prolonged to Canada, the place MMA‘s high promotion will arrange store this Saturday evening for its first flagship occasion of 2024.
After a month away from pay-per-view, the UFC heads as much as Toronto for UFC 297 this weekend. Reside protection of the present begins Saturday at 6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT on UFC Battle Cross and ESPN+ with the early prelims, adopted at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPNEWS with late prelims.
Predominant card motion caps the evening at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on ESPN+ pay-per-view. All instructed, barring any late changes between now and Saturday, UFC 297 encompasses a full 12-fight card.
Vacant Girls’s Bantamweight Gold at Stake in UFC 297 Co-Predominant Occasion Saturday
To start the yr on PPV, the UFC has trotted out a championship doubleheader on the high of the present, beginning with the UFC 297 co-main occasion. Supremacy at girls’s bantamweight is on the road within the promotion’s first championship confrontation of 2024.
No. 2 contender Raquel Pennington (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) will meet No. 3 contender Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2-1, 1 NC MMA, 5-2-1, 1 NC UFC) for the Vacant UFC Girls’s Bantamweight Championship. Your winner will develop into the sixth completely different champion at 135 lbs., succeeding the now-retired Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC), who left the game after defeating Irene Aldana (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) final June.
We’re counting down the times till #UFC297 🙌
Prepare by watching the subsequent episode of Embedded right here: https://t.co/B3PmPfKA1b pic.twitter.com/hqeX43JqmD
— UFC (@ufc) January 17, 2024
UFC 297 Co-Predominant Occasion Fighter Comparability and Betting Odds
Heading into the UFC 297 co-main occasion on Saturday evening, Raquel Pennington stands because the taller competitor at 5-foot-7, in comparison with the 5-foot-6 body of Mayra Bueno Silva. As well as, Pennington owns a one-inch attain benefit (67 inches to 66 inches) over her opponent, whereas Bueno Silva has a two-inch leg attain benefit (39 inches to 37 inches) over Pennington.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Mayra Bueno Silva put in as a -175 favourite on the cash line, whereas Raquel Pennington counters as a +145 underdog. For those who plan on betting on this or some other struggle occurring over the weekend, please wager responsibly.
Raquel Pennington Needs Violence in UFC 297 Co-Predominant Occasion
Raquel Pennington has posted a document of 5-0 in her final 5 fights. Most lately, she scored a cut up resolution win over Ketlen Viera (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on Jan. 14, 2023 in UFC Vegas 67.
Regardless of the yearlong layoff, Pennington is able to unleash the beast on Saturday, as she instructed the press in her media availability session on Wednesday morning.
“Hear, she’s a personality, proper?,” Pennington mentioned about Mayra Bueno Silva. “All of the issues that she’s saying [are] like actually entertaining me. What you simply mentioned is totally contradicting to what I’ve heard that she’s saying. On the finish of the day, like, I really feel like she’s speaking all of the crap, she’s attempting to say all of the issues. Positive, possibly the followers need to see her struggle Juliana (Pena) as a result of they each yap lots, they discuss, and so all people desires to see that.”
“They love the leisure portion,” she continued. “That’s simply not who I’m and I take into consideration the children and the youthful era who look as much as me and it’s not about speaking crap to one another and doing all the pieces. On the finish of the day, a struggle’s a struggle. Our fists are going to do the speaking.”
One other week, one other spherical of bulletin board materials from a fighter.
Bueno Silva Counters with Verbal Jabs of Her Personal
Within the different nook, Mayra Bueno Silva has gone 3-1 with one no-contest in her final 5 fights. At current, she’s unbeaten in her final 4 contests (3-0, 1 NC).
Final day trip, she noticed her struggle vs. Holly Holm (15-6, 1 NC MMA, 8-6, 1 NC UFC) get retroactively overturned to a no-contest after she returned a optimistic drug take a look at. Initially, Bueno Silva was dominated the winner on account of a second-round submission (ninja choke.)
At her Wednesday press junket, Bueno Silva made it coldly easy about Raquel Pennington:
“I’m higher than her at all the pieces,” Bueno Silva instructed the media. “Every thing, my boxing, my jiu-jitsu, my wrestling, my psychological well being. It’s all the pieces.”
Evaluation, Movie Examine, and Prediction
Stylistically, the UFC 297 co-main occasion seems to be to favor Raquel Pennington, a boxer with a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in comparison with Mayra Bueno Silva’s brown belt in BJJ.
Search for Pennington to Attempt a Guillotine Choke
Raquel Pennington might be vicious when the time comes for her to land a submission. So long as she manages to get her opponent to the cage mat, the struggle’s momentum can go to her aspect of the ledger, because it did towards Macy Chiasson in 2021.
Throughout spherical two of a scheduled three, Pennington put Chiasson within the clinch, making use of double underhooks within the course of. Though Chiasson scored with knees to Pennington’s physique, extra was wanted for Pennington to lose momentum.
Upon the 2 stalking one another, Pennington returned to the clinch and took Chiasson down, making use of the torque to lock in a entrance guillotine choke in barely over three minutes. All it’ll take Raquel Pennington is a single takedown to get out of Toronto because the champ.
Mayra Bueno Silva Can Write a Fast Ending to the Story
Within the different nook, this advisory: Don’t blink when Mayra Bueno Silva is within the cage. You would possibly find yourself lacking the end of the struggle.
She’ll attempt to make this evening on the workplace quick, very similar to she did towards Stephanie Egger in 2022. The primary spherical of the struggle noticed Egger land some strong punches, however her benefit was short-lived. Though Egger took Bueno Silva down, she reversed place and secured the armbar in just a little over a minute.
Upon additional assessment by Marc Smith, who served because the onsite video official that night, the official ruling of an armbar submission was upheld by match referee Chris Tognoni. Search for Bueno Silva to dump Pennington early on Saturday evening. If she does, it’s a performed deal earlier than you come back from the fridge.
Ultimate Ideas
Right here’s hoping you could have quite a lot of popcorn useful for the UFC 297 co-main occasion. There gained’t be a lot time to pop it after the struggle begins.
Prediction: Raquel Pennington by Second-Spherical Submission.
