The UFC returns for the final pay-per-view event of the year. UFC 296 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card features a welterweight title headliner as the current champion, Leon "Rocky" Edwards, looks to defend his title for the second time against former two-time title challenger Colby "Chaos" Covington. Another title fight on the card is the co-main event, featuring a bantamweight title clash between Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja and Brandon "Raw Dawg" Royval.
With plenty of other great fights on this truly stacked card, let’s take a closer look at all the action taking place this weekend.
UFC 296 Prelim Card
Martin Buday vs Shamil Gaziev
In the heavyweight division, Buday from Slovakia collides with Shamil Gaziev. It's a closely contested fight, but Buday is anticipated to hand the Russian his first loss in a firecracker to kick off the card.
Andre Fili vs Lucas Almeida
In a featherweight tilt, Andre "Touchy" Fili faces Lucas Almeida. Despite the American’s recent loss, the 145-pound veteran is expected to return to winning ways against the Brazilian.
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden
Tagir Ulanbekov faces Cody Durden in a flyweight bout. Ulanbekov from Kyrgyzstan is expected to secure victory over the other 32 year old fitghter in what could be his most significant win in the UFC so far.
Alonzo Menifield vs Dustin Jacoby
Light heavyweights collide as Alonzo "Atomic" Menifield battles Dustin Jacoby. The kickboxer Jacoby is highly favored to come out on top on the night.
Casey O'Neill vs Ariane Lipski
In a women's flyweight fight, Casey "King" O’Neill faces Ariane Lipski. In what promises to be a competitive battle, as the only Australian in the UFC, O’Neill, is favored and should secure a victory on points over the former KSW champ.
Cody "No Love" Garbrandt vs Brian "Boom" Kelleher
Former bantamweight champion Garbrandt is finally back in action against Kelleher. “No Love” has really had a tought time getting back on track with multiple injuries, but is a slight favorite in what should be a very interesting encounter with “Boom”.
Irene Aldana (Mexico) vs Karol Rosa
Former title challenger Aldana returns to action against Karol Rosa. Expect Aldana to use her reach and striking to get a decision win.
Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell
In a featherweight encounter, Emmett faces Mitchell in a much anticipated bout. Emmett was originally supposed to face Giga Chikadze until the latter had to withdraw due to injury. Instead, Mitchell is stepping in, and despite the short notice, is a solid favorite to emerge victorious. While "Thug Nasty" hopes to grapple his way to a win, Emmett will be looking to knock his block off. This should be a banger, and I don’t see it going to the judges.
UFC 296 Main Card
Tony Ferguson vs Paddy Pimblett
One of the most highly-anticipated fights on the card, in terms of name value, is a lightweight battle between Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson and Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett.
Ferguson, on a six-fight losing streak and last won back in the summer of 2019. His last outing was a submission defeat to Bobby Green in July and it was notably the third fight in a row that he got finished in. While fans hope the old Ferguson can make a comeback, he has not delivered.
Pimblett, meanwhile, remains undefeated in the UFC with a 4-0 promotional record having last outpointed Jared Gordon last December. His performance against Gordon wasn’t the most impressive though and Ferguson will be a big step up in competition for the Liverpool native. That said, it’s safe to say Pimblett will likely come out on top given Ferguson’s age and current losing streak. But, can El Cucuy surprise the fans in Las Vegas?
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson
An exciting welterweight title fight takes place between Shavkat "Nomad" Rakhmonov and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. Rakhmonov is undefeated with finishes in each of his 17 career wins. His last outing was particularly impressive as he submitted Geoff Neal in March in a back-and-forth war. However, he faces one of the best strikers in the UFC in Thompson.
“Wonderboy” returned to winning ways with a Fight of the Year candidate against Kevin Holland which he won by fourth-round TKO last December. Prior to that, he suffered decision defeats to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. A big factor was he was outwrestled in both those defeats whereas Holland chose to strike with him.
Rakhmonov is more than capable of striking, but also has a fierce ground game and is likely to resort to ground fighting. Given that, it’s easy to see why Rakhmonov is a massive favorite to win and enter title contention, don’t count out the Karate man Thompson that could upset the prospect if he can keep the distance and use his striking for 15 minutes.
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval
The first of two title fights sees Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja look to defend his flyweight crown for the first time against the exciting Brandon "Raw Dawg" Royval in a rematch. The Brazlian champ is on a four-fight winning streak with his last outing in July seeing him outpoint Brandon Moreno to become the new 125-pound king. Prior to that, he defeated Alex Perez, Royval and Manel Kape.
Royval, meanwhile, will be looking to not only become a champion, but also avenge his 2021 submission defeat to Pantoja. Since that setback, the American has notched up three straight wins over the likes of Rogerio Bontorin, Matt Schnell and Matheus Nicolau with finishes in two of them. It should be a close and competitive contest compared to the first meeting and the odds indicate this. However, the smart money is on Pantoja coming out on top again and retaining his title.
Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington
The main event sees Leon "Rocky" Edwards defend his 170-pound title for the second time against perennial contender Colby "Chaos" Covington. Edwards, of course, became the welterweight king after an emphatic come-from-behind head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman last year. He would emerge victorious in the trilogy with a decision win over the former champ in their title rematch earlier this year. Overall, “Rocky” is undefeated in his last 11 fights with 10 victories and a no contest during that run.
Covington is looking to become undisputed champion in his third and likely final attempt. “Chaos” has only lost to Usman in the welterweight division the last few years with both those defeats coming in title fights. Following his second defeat to Usman, Covington bounced back with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Jorge Masvidal in March last year. Overall, Covington has won nine of his last 11 fights, but mostly inactive as he has waited for a chance at the belt.
This should be a competitive contest with an interesting stylistic matchup. Edwards is clearly the better striker while Covington will look to pressure him and take him down. One would imagine Edwards would struggle against Covington’s relentless pressure and ground game.
However, the Birmingham native showed highly improved takedown defense against Usman and nullified his wrestling as a whole in the trilogy. The Jamaican born fighter is also huge, and becoming a more dynamic fighter with each bout, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him secure a take-down himself.
I really like Edwards to emerge as the champ with a dominant performance. Covington’s lack of striking skills will put him at a disadvantage, and at some point late expect Rocky to stop the American.
