UFC 296: Leon Edwards defends his title against Colby Covington on final card of 2023
Michael Bolton
The UFC is ending the year in style, with so much on the line at UFC 296.
Two title fights, the return of Paddy Pimblett, and one of the most dangerous fighters in the welterweight division awaits on Saturday in a card that should be full of entertainment.
In the main event, Leon Edwards makes the second defence of his welterweight title when he faces Colby Covington.
After his incredible knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, Edwards defended his title in March with a majority decision win over Usman to close out the trilogy in March.
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Standing in his way of retaining his title is Colby Covington, who despite a lengthy lay-off, is the next challenger. Covington's last fight was his victory over former teammate Jorge Masvidal at UFC 273 in March 2022.
A controversial figure to say the least, Covington backs it up when the spotlight is on.
If he is to defeat Edwards, the wrestling of Covington will be key, and with his incredible cardio, Edwards knows he can't drop his performance levels at any stage of the fight.
In the co-main event, it is two fighters who are guaranteed entertainment as Alexandre Pantoja makes the first defense of his flyweight title when he faces Brandon Royval.
In one of the fights of the year, Pantoja defeated Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, and is currently on a four-fight win streak, which includes a submission victory over Royval.
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For Royval, he is unbeaten since that loss, with an impressive TKO victory over Matheus Nicolau putting him in title contention.
Elsewhere, big fights in the welterweight division continue, as Stephen Thompson faces Shavkhat Rakhmonov.
Rakhmonov has a 17-0 record, with all finishes, including a submission victory over Geoff Neal at UFC 285. He is likely only a couple of wins away from a title shot, and one of the biggest prospects in the sport.
On the feet, he has produced some vicious knockouts. While when the fight gets to the ground, he has the ability to pull off a submission from anywhere.
For Thompson, this will be his first fight in over a year, with his last win coming against Kevin Holland in December 2022.
In the lightweight division, it is a fan favourite bout as Paddy Pimblett returns from injury to take on former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
After a controversial win at UFC 282, Pimblett will be keen to show on his return why he is such a fan favourite. For Ferguson, who is on a six-fight losing streak, he will be eager to show he can still compete at the highest level.
His last fight was a submission loss to Bobby Green at UFC 291.
