CURTIS-BARRIAULT: ROUND 3
Barriault goes forward in this round and lands knees and lead elbows. Barriault was better in the clinches with his uppercuts, but a right hand from Curtis backed up the Canadian with 90 seconds left and gave him the initiative. The crowd roared as the fighters squared off in the final seconds.
CURTIS-BARRIAULT: ROUND 2
Barriault showed a little more ambition, but Curtis, with his superior boxing, landed much more often to both the body and the head, making his opponent's nose bleed.
CURTIS-BARRIAULT: ROUND 1
There were a lot of feints in the first half of the round. Curtis began landing kicks and right hands more frequently as the round progressed. Barriault gave the home fans little to cheer about, even when he threw he couldn't penetrate Curtis' defense.
FRANKIE EDGAR ANNOUNCED AS UFC HALL OF FAMER!
He is the first announced recruit in the Class of 2024 and receives a huge ovation from the Toronto crowd.
Next comes the first of two clashes between Canada and the US
It's a middleweight contest between 14th-ranked veteran middleweights Chris Curtis (30-10) and Canadian Marc-Andre Barriault (16-6).
EVLOEV WINS UNANIMOUS DECISION
He gets the nod for all three scorecards with 29:28.
ALLEN-EVLOEV: ROUND 3
Allen came forward bravely and landed a good combination, but Evloev countered with a right hand each time. Allen received a harsh warning for an illegal knee injury against Evloev, who was examined by the ring doctor but was allowed to continue. There was more wrestling in the final minute with Evloev gaining control, but Allen fought back with elbows and came forward with swings at the end of the round. A valiant performance, but the Russian will probably take the win.
ALLEN-EVLOEV: ROUND 2
The pair were evenly matched for the first half of the round before Evloev went back to wrestling and defeated Allen with a leglock. The wrestling made Allen a little angrier and Evloev landed a big one-two to Allen's cheek. There is a lot for Allen to do in the final round.
ALLEN-EVLOEV: ROUND 1
Allen controlled the early game with his southpaw jab before Evloev grabbed his leg, but Allen's defense stopped a takedown. Evloev put him on top with some incredible athletic wrestling in the final minute as he held on to a waistlock. One might think that the late action swings the rounds to Evloev
EVERYONE COME TO WE WILL ROCK YOU
However, let's not judge him for that. The Ipswich man has won 12 of his last 13 fights but is the underdog here.
Our man is next
Can Arnold Allen (#4) defeat undefeated Movsar Evloev (#9) in this featherweight contest?
0305 – The main map is just moments away
ARMFIELD WINS UNANIMOUS DECISION
Another unpopular decision. The biggest win of his career. The hit in the first few rounds earned him the nod.
KATONA-ARMFIELD: ROUND 3
Katona with a nice early left hook and then an arm hook for the takedown. He then controlled the next two minutes before Armfield broke the hold. After everyone landed a few punches, Katona held Armfield again, this time hitting his opponent's right knee. Katona's round. It depends on who won first.
KATONA-ARMFIELD: ROUND 2
Armfield quickly begins throwing various punches, bloodying Katona's nose. Both landed shots consistently, but Armfield's shots were cleaner and his defense was superior. He also landed a good left kick to the forehead. Katona took down Armfield in the final 30 seconds and held him against the Octagon. Armfield's round, obviously.
KATONA-ARMFIELD: ROUND 1
After much back and forth and feints in both fights, Katona landed a kick right in the middle of Armfield's groin and it took him a minute to recover. Not a round that made the audience cheer. Katona may have just made the rounds.
THE CHAMPION IS HERE…
Sean Strickland is in the building.
Next up is Canada's Superman
Brad Katona (15-2) fights in the preliminary round against American Garrett Armfield (9-3).
PENNINGTON COMES IN A RETRO RAPTORS JERSEY
Later tonight she faces Mayro Bueno Silva in a bantamweight title fight.
WOODSON WINS SPLIT DECISION
Woodson extends his unbeaten streak to five wins, and the crowd is once again unhappy about it. Woodson initially thought he had lost.
JOURDAIN-WOODSON: ROUND 3
Jourdain had a double leg with his hips against the octagon, but Woodson is harder to pin down than an octopus. Excellent defensive skills from Woodson, but did he do enough offensively to win? Even when he landed, it was mostly clipping shots. Jourdain attempted a late guillotine, but the escape artist escaped again.
JOURDAIN-WOODSON: ROUND 2
Jourdain starts early with a body shot and then a left kick to the head. He throws a leg but can't take Woodson down. Jourdain lands a spinning elbow and a late head kick to win the round.
JOURDAIN-WOODSON: ROUND 1
Woodson's 6'3″ frame and feather-light frame have a number of tricks to his name, constantly switching hands and landing a few straight punches, but Jourdain's leg kicks left their mark and he also landed a good left hand down the middle. But Woodson's defense prevented the home fighter from landing too often, and toward the end of the round he landed some body shots and a knee. A close round.
Next up is another home favorite
Canadian Charles “Air” Jourdain (15-6-1) meets Sean “The Sniper Woodson (10-1-1).
TAVERAS WINS SPLIT DECISION
Each decision 29-28, two in favor of Taveras. The crowd doesn't like that. How will Dana White react? He ordered the rematch after he didn't like the stoppage in the first fight, he could now order a third. Taveras apologizes for missing weight by four pounds.
SIDEY-TAVERAS: ROUND 3
Taveras started the third round better with leg kicks and counter left hands. Sidey landed a knee strike to the body and then twisted him in the middle with his left hand. The fight was still wide open as the fight entered the final minute, but neither made much of an impression, so Sidey's extra work rate from Maube gave him the win. What a rematch. Does anyone have a rubber match?
SIDEY-TAVERAS: ROUND 2
Sidey wobbled Taveras with right hands early in the round and also landed right kicks, but missed with an attempt to stop the knees. After a delayed one-two, Sidey went to the mat, leaving the Ukrainian with a crimson mask. But Sidey continued forward and a left body punch hurt the American, landing numerous left hooks up top, then elbows close. A great shot from Sidey after he broke his nose and hit the canvas.
SIDEY-TAVERAS: ROUND 1
Sidey couldn't miss with his left hand early on, but Taveras caught him with a few counter punches to the body that left their mark, then landed a couple of big lefties with a few minutes left in the round. Shortly after the buzzer, Taveras caught Sidey with a huge right hand, causing the Ukrainian to stumble back and barely avoid going to the canvas. Taveras takes over the round.
Next up: UFC bantamweight debutants
Two men who could do some serious work in this division. Ukrainian Serhiy Sidey (10:1), who lives in Ontario, fights against American Ramon Taveras (9:2). Sidey stopped Taveras at UFC Contender Series 61 in what Dana White called “one of the worst referee stoppages” he'd ever seen, so the boss told them to do it again, this time at the big event.
ROBERTSON WINS BY TKO!
Another early takedown by Robertson leads to some ground and pound, and this time she took out her opponent, and with nothing coming back and Viana defenseless, the referee signaled the end of the fight.
ROBERTSON-VIANA: ROUND 1
Robertson takes Viana to the mat early with a single leg takedown and the action continued throughout the round as an arm triangle was applied in the final two minutes. Viana showed great resilience, getting back to her feet in the final 30 seconds and striking Robertson.
0105 – FIRST: ROBERTSON-VIANA
A strawweight bout between Gillian “The Savage” Robertson (12-8) at Niagara Falls and Brazil’s Polyana Viana (13-6) begins the preliminary card.
0100 – LET'S GO…
Coverage is now available on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+.
0055 – SAM PATTERSON WINS BATTLE THROUGH SUBMISSION
“The Future” got Yohan Lainesse to tap within two minutes of their fight.
0045 – We are only 15 minutes away from departure
Live coverage from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada begins at 1am UK time on Sunday, January 21 on TNT Sports 1 and on Discovery+. UFC 297 is part of several months of mixed martial arts action on TNT Sports. For full details click here.
0035 – DU PLESSIS PROMISES TO FINISH THE MAIN EVENT IN THREE ROUNDS
0025 – ALL ABOUT HIS FEELINGS BEFORE THE FIGHT
0015 – Speaking of British UFC interest…
Dana White says he will announce next week where and when Leon Edwards will defend his title for the first time.
0005 – Home interest for us to enjoy
Fighting at 3 a.m. tonight, Arnold “Almighty” Allen faces a tough test against undefeated featherweight Movsar Evloev.
2355 – A DELICIOUS MAIN CARD…
The middleweight title fight is headlined by Sean Strickland, who is likely to be the grudge match of the year, taking on Dricus Du Plessis.
2350 – HELLO AND WELCOME TO UFC 297!
Thank you for attending this UFC event in Toronto. I'm Ciaran Baynes and I'll be following today's action with you this evening.
UFC 297: Which TV channel is the main card on?
Live coverage from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada begins at 1am UK time on Sunday, January 21 on TNT Sports 1 and on Discovery+. UFC 297 is part of several months of mixed martial arts action on TNT Sports. For full details click here.
When does UFC 297 start in the UK? Full fight card
Live coverage starts at 01:00 in the UK.
- Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
- Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield
- Charles Jourdain vs. Sean Woodson
- Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras
- Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana
- Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
- Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
- Dominick Reyes vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
Which channels does TNT Sports offer and on which platforms?
TNT Sports is available on all major TV platforms and offers a range of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4) and up to six digital or red button channels ( TNT Sports). 5 to 10) and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
Depending on your subscription and device, fans can enjoy access to the following TNT Sports channels:
- TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4 – in standard definition and high definition, plus six red button channels.
- TNT Sports Ultimate offers fans coverage of select events in up to 4K picture resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR), which presents colors and action in near-lifelike quality, and Dolby Atmos sound.
- TNT Sports Box Office offers both subscribers and non-subscribers pay-per-view access to some of the most exciting events on the calendar.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports on Discovery+, BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media.
How can I watch UFC live streams on TNT Sports?
TNT Sports' streaming home in the UK is Discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one place.
You can also watch TNT Sports on BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media.
A select number of events will be shown on the TNT Sports Box Office. TNT Sports Box Office offers both subscribers and non-subscribers pay-per-view access to some of the most exciting events on the calendar.
TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously broadcast by BT Sport including Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, boxing and WWE. TNT Sports' streaming home in the UK is Discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one place. You can also watch TNT Sports on BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media.