Leon Edwards saw off the challenge of Colby Covington to retain his welterweight championship in the main event of UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the morning of Sunday 17 December 2023.
Edwards dominated the first three rounds with crisp striking, especially kicks to the challenger’s lead leg, and although Covington ended the fight strongly – enjoying top position through most of the fifth round – the champion was the clear victor, and the judges agreed with three scores of 49-46 in favour of ‘Rocky’.
“I wanted to come out here and out-grapple him, out-strike him and shut him down,” said Edwards, who added: “This guy used my Dad’s murder as entertainment. He’s a great competitor, but a dirty human being.”
In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja make a successful first defence of his flyweight championship with a unanimous decision triumph over Brandon Royval, using his takedown and grappling skills to dominate the majority of the fight and secure a 50-45 50-45 49-46 triumph on the judges’ scorecards.
“This is fight is too boring, I don’t like to do that fight,” said Pantoja, referring to his grappling-heavy approach.
The remainder of the main card featured a submission win for rising welterweight star Shavkat Rakhmonov over Stephen Thompson; Paddy Pimblett outpointed Tony Ferguson in the lightweight division; and the welterweight opener saw Josh Emmett make quick work of Bryce Mitchell with a first-round KO.
The next UFC event is a Fight Night on Sunday 14 January 2024, headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker.
UFC 296 - MAIN CARDS RESULTS
- Main event: Welterweight championship: Leon Edwards def. Colby Covington via unanimous decision (49-46 49-46 49-46), R5, 5:00
- Co-main event: Flyweight championship: Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (50-45 50-45 49-46), R5, 5:00
- Welterweight: Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson via submission (rear-naked choke), R2, 4:56
- Lightweight: Paddy Pimblett def. Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00
- Welterweight: Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell via KO (punch), R1, 1:57