Two title fights and a ton of action are the selling points for UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year
• 2 min read
The final UFC PPV event of the year is upon. The promotion is back home in Las Vegas with a pair of title fights atop the marquee on Saturday night when UFC 296 lands inside the T-Mobile Arena. The main event sees welterweight champion Leon Edwards look to turn away former two-time title challenger Colby Covington while the co-main sees new flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja take on his first test against Brandon Royval.
It’s been a long, long time since Edwards has tasted defeat. England’s second UFC champion is unbeaten dating back to a 2015 setback against Kamaru Usman that he has since avenged twice. The trilogy is behind him and Edwards looks ahead to new challenges. It feels like Covington has curried favor with UFC matchmakers, being granted a third undisputed title shot despite his flimsy case. Covington is 3-2 with wins over three fighters who have since retired. Covington’s most impressive performances were arguably close, losing efforts to Usman in title fights.
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Pantoja vs. Royval should be an action-packed co-main event. Pantoja captured the flyweight championship from Brandon Moreno in a grueling five-round split decision at UFC 290 that earned Fight of the Night honors. Royval is on a three-fight winning streak since losing to Pantoja with back-to-back bonuses.
The undercard is loaded up with big names looking to make a big splash. Rising welterweight contender Shavkat Rakmonov is back as he takes on former title challenger and de facto divisional gatekeeper Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Plus, Paddy Pimblett looks to bounce back from injury when he makes his lone walk to the Octagon in 2023 against lightweight veteran Tony Ferguson. And more top welterweights collide to open the PPV when Ian Machado Garry takes on Vicente Luque.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 296 along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 296 fight card, odds
- Leon Edwards (c) -160 vs. Colby Covington +135, welterweight title
- Alexandre Pantoja (c) -175 vs. Brandon Royval +150, flyweight title
- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson, welterweights
- Paddy Pimblett -330 vs. Tony Ferguson +260, lightweights
- Ian Machado Garry -370 vs. Vicente Luque +290, welterweights
- Bryce Mitchell -230 vs Josh Emmett +190, featherweights
- Irene Aldana -200 vs. Karol Rosa +170, women’s bantamweights
- Cody Garbrandt -205 vs. Brian Kelleher +170, bantamweights
- Casey O’Neill -190 vs. Ariane Lipski +155, women’s flyweights
- Dustin Jacoby -250 vs. Alonzo Menifield +205, light heavyweights
- Tagir Ulanbekov -175 vs. Cody Durden +150, flyweights
- Andre Fili -180 vs. Luca Almeida +155, featherweights
- Martin Buday -150 vs. Shamil Gaziev +125, heavyweights
- Randy Brown -260 vs. Muslim Salikhov +210, welterweights
UFC 296 info
- Date: Dec. 16
- Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 296 countdown
- Campbell: Top storylines to watch in Las Vegas
