In the final major card of the year, the highly anticipated UFC 296 scheduled for December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, welterweight world champion Leon Edwards will fight to retain his title against the division’s skilled, number three-ranked Colby Covington.
The 170-pound champion will finally put his title on the line against the controversial Covington in a fight that has been scheduled since March, but for various reasons could not be finalized.
The negotiations were not the easiest to guarantee that the fight would take place, but finally it will happen on December 16.
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Covington out to regain his title
Colby Covington is looking to reclaim the belt after being interim champion.
The rivalry between the two will add an extra dose to the night’s main event, which is expected to be a true battle for welterweight supremacy with Edwards, ranked number four in the pound-for-pound rankings, as the heavy favorite.
Leon Edwards is 32 years old and was crowned last year, adding to a UFC record of 13 wins, two losses and one no contest.
Colby Covington is three years older and stands out for his verbal wars with his opponents.
Alexandre Pantoja puts his world title up for grabs
The evening’s co-main event fight also promises excitement and will be a world title fight, when Brazilian fighter Alexandre Pantoja will put his world flyweight title at risk against American rival Brandon Royval in a rematch.
It comes after the fight they fought in August 2021, when the current champion won with a submission in the second round.
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This will be Pantoja‘s first title defense after his successful victory against Mexican opponent Brandon Moreno.
With the history of both fighters, this duel will surely be one of the highlights of the card in a UFC 296 show that is presented as a must-see event.