UFC 297: How did Americans fare?

This past weekend saw UFC 297 take place in Toronto, Canada, a card that featured plenty of American fighters.

Our article breaks down each fight involving an American and provides the results for each one.

Jimmy Flick (United States) def. Malcolm Gordon via Submission - Round 2: 1:17

The first fight on the UFC 297 Early Preliminary card was between American Jimmy Flick and Malcolm Gordon. 

Flick was a moderate-sized underdog for this bout and was getting dominated in this fight, before his grappling ability proved to be too much.

Flick had four submission attempts, one of which ended this fight in the second round to improve his MMA record to 17-7 and 3-2 in the UFC.

Ramon Taveras (United States) def. Serhiy Sidey via Split Decision - Round 3: 5:00

The second fight on the Preliminary Card at UFC 297 saw American Ramon Taveras take on Serhiy Sidey.

This fight was contested in the Bantamweight division and one where Taveras was the underdog, but he landed a knockdown in the second that proved to be a telling point when he was awarded the split decision win.

With this victory, Taveras has improved his MMA record to 10-2 (2-1 in the UFC).

Sean Woodson (United States) def. Charles Jourdain via Split Decision - Round 3: 5:00

Third on the Preliminary Card was a Featherweight fight between USA’s Sean Woodson and Charles Jourdain.

Woodson was the clear underdog, but managed to out-strike Jourdain by a big enough margin to earn him the win via decision.

This ultimately improved his MMA record to 11-1-1 (6-1-1 in the UFC).

Garrett Armfield (United States) def. Brad Katona via Unanimous Decision - Round 3: 5:00

To close out the Preliminary Card at UFC 297, American Garrett Armfield went up against Brad Katona in the Bantamweight division. 

Armfield came into this fight as the significant underdog, but was able to out-strike Katona by roughly 50 strikes.

This led to the judges scoring the fight in Armfield’s favor, taking his MMA record to 10-3 and 2-1 in the UFC.

Chris Curtis (United States) def. Marc-Andre Barriault via Split Decision - Round 3: 5:00

Second on the Main Card at UFC 297 was Chris Curtis and Marc-Andre Barriault in the UFC Middleweight division.

Curtis was the heavy favorite and while this fight was close throughout, he was able to win all three rounds in terms of strikes landed.

This was ultimately enough to win him this fight via decision and improve his MMA record to 31-10 and 6-2 in the UFC.

Neil Magny (United States) def. Mike Malott via KO/TKO - Round 3: 4:45

The third fight on the Main Card at UFC 297 saw Neil Magny take on Mike Malott in the UFC Welterweight division. 

Magny was a significant underdog in this fight and looked to be losing after the first two rounds. However, in round three, Magny started to gain a ton of momentum, winning the striking battle 80 to 13.

With just seconds left in the fight, Magny scored a knockout blow, which gave him the huge upset and improved his MMA record to 29-12 and 22-10 in the UFC.

Raquel Pennington (United States) def. Mayra Bueno Silva via Unanimous Decision - Round 5: 5:00

The Co-Main Event at UFC 297 featured American Raquel Pennington taking on Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant UFC Women’s Bantamweight title. 

Pennington was a slight underdog in this fight, but it did not stop her from a dominating win as she landed 265 strikes (134 significant strikes) compared to Silva’s 96 (69 significant strikes).

This performance easily earned Pennington a win and, with it, the UFC title.

Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland (United States) via Split Decision - Round 5: 5:00

The Main Event at UFC 297 saw the UFC Middleweight title up for grabs with Sean Strickland defending his title against Dricus Du Plessis.

Strickland was the narrow favorite and looked to be winning for large stretches. However, he allowed Du Plessis to take him down six times, which was enough to give the win to the South African.

That defeat for Strickland means his MMA record stands at 28-6 and his UFC record is now 15-6.

Review

Overall, UFC 297 was nearly perfect for American fighters as they finished 7-1 on the night. 

The most notable win was by Raquel Pennington, who now holds the UFC Women’s Bantamweight title. The one loss by an American fighter was in the other title fight, where Sean Strickland lost his Middleweight belt.