The UFC is set to return to Canada on Saturday with UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Canadians are getting two title fights: middleweight king Sean Strickland looking to defend his title against Dricus du Plessis and a vacant women’s bantamweight championship between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva.
While the main card features title fights, top contenders and prospects, the undercard features intriguing stylistic match-ups and more prospects. Check out five of the best preliminary card fights on UFC 297.
Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield
Katona will be representing Canada in his second fight back with the UFC after winning his second season of The Ultimate Fighter. Katona, after defeating Cody Gibson in the TUF Season 31 finale, draws Garrett Armfield. The two bantamweights will headline the preliminary portion of UFC 297.
Armfield finished Toshiomi Kazama with a straight right in his last bout and will look to keep that momentum going against Katona. Armfield drew a stiff test in his UFC debut against David Onama up a weight class but will look to go 2-1 in enemy territory. Katona defeated Timur Valiev in an exhibition bout on The Ultimate Fighter, putting a stamp on his 4-0 regional run that got him on the show after he was cut from the UFC with a 2-2 record in his first stint. That initial run saw him lose to Merab Dvalishvili; no shame in that.
Katona and Armfield will each be looking to prove they should be the man to keep an eye on in a crowded 135-pound division.
Charles Jourdain vs. Sean Woodson
An intriguing stylistic clash of featherweights, featuring Canadian Jourdain, is slated for the prelims. Jourdain, a dynamic striker possessing powerful kicks, will go up against the tall, lanky Woodson, who has crisp boxing.
Woodson, speaking with MMASucka, said the judges won’t be needed for this fight.
Jourdain has fought several big names in his 12 UFC fights, emerging victorious over the likes of Ricardo Ramos, Kron Gracie, Lando Vannata and Andre Ewell. He has also gone up against Shane Burgos, Andre Fili, Julian Erosa and Nathaniel Wood.
Woodson garners a lot of attention for his 6’2″ frame at featherweight, but it’s what he’s done with it that has been impressive. He holds UFC wins over Dennis Buzukja and Youssef Zalal, but has a Contender Series win over lightweight Terrance McKinney. Woodson said a win over Jourdain would be the biggest of his career. He has a chance to go out and prove it, and possibly get himself a top-15 fighter next. Jourdain is looking for the same opportunity with a win over Woodson. There’s a lot at stake here.
Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras
Sidey and Taveras will rematch in a battle of debuting bantamweights. Both will look to gain traction as a prospect in a deep 135-pound division. Both men are coming off T/KO wins on the Contender Series. Sidey’s last fight was a win over Taveras in September when he TKO’d him in 2:26. Taveras rebounded on the Contender Series with his own TKO over Cortavious Romious.
The men have a history with one another, with Sidey looking to repeat in the big show and Taveras looking to avenge a loss. Both men primarily win by T/KO (6 of 10 wins for Sidey and 5 of 9 wins for Taveras). We likely will get another T/KO in the rematch. The only question is who will walk out with his hand raised?
Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana
Robertson is the home team in this strawweight clash. She will look to get back in the win column against fan-favorite Viana. What makes this match-up fun is the finishing rate.
All 13 of Viana’s wins have come via finish (5 T/KO, 8 submissions), while 10 of Robertson’s 12 wins have come before the final bell (9 submissions). There’s a good chance the judges won’t be needed here, and even if they are, there should be plenty of action. The winner could very well find herself getting a crack at a top-15 foe next.
Yohan Lainesse vs. Sam Patterson
Lainesse and Patterson, alumni of the Contender Series, are set to square off at welterweight. Patterson is moving up a weight class, looking to secure his first UFC win, while Lainesse is looking to even up his record in the promotion at 2-2.
Lainesse ran into blue-chip prospect Mike Malott in his last bout (Malott is set to fight Neil Magny on the main card). Both he and Patterson sport high finishing rates (66% for Lainesse and 90% for Patterson), meaning this should be an action-packed fight that won’t go the full 15 minutes. The crowd figures to be behind the Canadian Lainesse.
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