UFC President Dana White has announced the first three title fights of 2024, all of which will take place in the first quarter of the year.
BREAKING…… pic.twitter.com/eW9Q23FVmI
— danawhite (@danawhite) November 6, 2023
Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis – UFC 297
The first title fight of the year will be between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight championship. The fight will take place at UFC 297 on January 21, 2024, which is targeted for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There is also the women's bantamweight championship on the line between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva on the fight card as well.
Strickland won the middleweight title in March 2023 with a unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis is currently the No. 2 ranked middleweight contender. He has won his last five fights, including a TKO victory over Derek Brunson in his most recent outing.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – UFC 298
The second title fight of the year will be between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria for the featherweight championship. The fight will take place at UFC 298 on February 18, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Volkanovski has been the featherweight champion since 2019. He has defended the title five times, defeating Max Holloway twice, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez. Topuria is currently the No. 5 ranked featherweight contender. He is undefeated winning all 14 of his professional bouts, including a one-sided victory over Josh Emmett in his most recent outing to earn him the title shot that he's been longing for.
Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera – UFC 299
The third title fight of the year will be between Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera for the bantamweight championship. The fight will take place at UFC 299 on March 11, 2024.
O'Malley and Vera fought in August 2022 at UFC 252 where O'Malley suffered the first and only loss of his professional career at the hands of Vera. Since then O'Malley has won five of his next six fights and captured the bantamweight championship after knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.
Now, O'Malley will be making his first title defense in a rematch against Marlon Vera. Vera is currently the No. 6 ranked bantamweight contender. He has won his last four fights, including a knockout victory over Dominick Cruz in his most recent outing.
All three of these title fights are highly anticipated. Strickland and du Plessis are both the two best middleweights, and their fight is sure to be a competitive one. Volkanovski and Topuria are two of the best featherweights in the world, and their fight is expected to be a technical masterpiece. O'Malley and Vera are both exciting strikers, and their rematch is sure to be a fireworks show.