This weekend marks the last big UFC event of the year, with UFC 296 happening at the famous T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s going to be a showstopper, featuring two title fights and lots of exciting matchups.
Main Event: Edwards vs. Covington for the Welterweight Title
The main event is a big deal: Leon Edwards, the current UFC welterweight champ, is defending his title against tough opponent Colby Covington.
Edwards has held the title since beating Kamaru Usman last year, and Covington is gunning for the gold for the third time. It’s going to be a exciting bout, with a lot on the line.
Covington is confident, saying, “I’ve seen the quitter in him,” adding extra spice to an already intense matchup.
Main Card Madness
A stacked main card is visible in the official lineup, which UFC.com has shared. Alongside Edwards vs. Covington, there’s a UFC flyweight championship match between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval.
The lightweight battle between Tony Ferguson and the up-and-coming Paddy Pimblett is another highlight.
Plus, there are two more welterweight clashes: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque vs. Ian Machado Garry. It’s going to be non-stop action.
Prelims and Early Prelims: More Fights, More Fun
Before the main event, there’s a bunch of exciting prelim fights. Josh Emmett takes on Bryce Mitchell in featherweight, Irene Aldana faces Karol Rosa in women’s bantamweight, and Cody Garbrandt goes up against Brian Kelleher in bantamweight. These fights are like a warm-up for the main show.
The early prelims, starting at 6:00 p.m. ET, have a mix of different weight classes: light heavyweight, flyweight, featherweight, heavyweight, and welterweight.
Names like Alonzo Menifield, Dustin Jacoby, Tagir Ulanbekov, Cody Durden, Randy Brown, and Muslim Salikhov are stepping into the Octagon early to get the crowd pumped.
With so many talented fighters and high-stakes battles, UFC 296 is going to be a night to remember. The T-Mobile Arena is the place to be as the UFC wraps up 2023 with a bang. Get ready for an awesome night of mixed martial arts action!
