Edwards emerges victorious over Covington at UFC 296, securing a unanimous decision.
Las Vegas Showdown: UFC 296, an evening you won't forget 🥊
In the wee hours of December 17th, the T-Mobile Arena turned into a battlefield, hosting UFC 296, a card with 12 fights, featuring two title bouts.
In the main event, Leon "Rocky" Edwards (22-3, 14-2 UFC), the welterweight champion, defended his title for the second time. He outpointed Colby "Chaos" Covington (No3, USA, 17-4, 12-4 UFC) via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46). Edwards ruled both the stand-up and grappling exchanges, attempting several submission attempts. The judges' scores accurately reflected the contest's outcome.
Post-fight, Edwards praised Covington's skills but criticized his character, stating, "I knew I was the better athlete. His vaunted cardio wouldn't make a difference. I wanted to show I'm not just a striker, I'm a complete MMA fighter. I dominated both standing and on the ground. It was an emotional fight. He used my father's death for promotion. My coach and mom helped me focus. I'm disappointed I couldn't finish him, but he escaped my submissions."
Covington, after his third failed title attempt, declared he's uninjured and ready to return in the first quarter of next year, addressing potential critics, "I'll be back stronger. I'm only 35, it was an easy fight. I think I won. Thanks to my supporters, and to the haters - you're all a bunch of broke losers."
In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja (29-6) defended his flyweight championship for the first time, defeating Brandon Royval (No1, USA, 15-7) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46).
Highlighting the card's epic moments was the premature end of Shavkat "Nomad" Rahmonov's (18-0) fight against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson (No6, 17-7-1), a top-5 welterweight division contender. Thompson, known for his unbeaten submission record, suffered his first career submission loss via rear-naked choke in the second round.
The main card featured Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett's (21-3) victory over Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson (USA, 25-10), a lightweight bout that saw Pimblett snapping Ferguson's losing streak with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). In another notable bout, Josh Emmett (No6, USA, 19-4) knocked out Brian Mitchell (No10, 16-2) in the first round of their featherweight fight.
Russia's Tagir Ulanbekov (No12, 16-2), competing in the lightweight division, tapped out American Cody Durden (No15, 14-5-1) via rear-naked choke in the second round of their preliminary card bout.
Other notable performances included Alonzo Menifield (USA, 15-3-1) defeating Dustin Jacoby (USA, 19-8-1) in the light heavyweight division, Cody Garbrandt (USA, 14-5) knocking out Brian Kelleher (USA, 24-15) in the first round of their bantamweight bout, and Ariane Lipski (Brazil, 17-8) submitting Casey O'Neill (Scotland, 12-3) via armbar in the second round of their women's flyweight fight.
Deebuting fighter and Dagestani native Shamil Gamzatov (15-0, fighting under the flag of Bahrain) knocked out Martin Buday (Slovakia, 13-2) via TKO in the second round of their heavyweight bout.
Spicing up the evening, Josh Emmett, Ariane Lipski, and Shamil Gaziev received "Performance of the Night" bonuses, while Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa were awarded "Fight of the Night" honors.
- In the UFC 296 main event, welterweight champion Leon "Rocky" Edwards ended Colby "Chaos" Covington's third title attempt, ruling both the stand-up and grappling exchanges to secure a unanimous decision victory.
- Covington, a notable figure in mixed-martial-arts sports, declared his readiness to return in the first quarter of the next year, despite the loss, stating that he's only 35 and believes he won the contest.
- The co-main event signified the significance of the evening, as Alexandre Pantoja defended his flyweight championship for the first time, defeating Brandon Royval via unanimous decision.
- UFC 296 featured a premature end to Shavkat "Nomad" Rahmonov's fight against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, marking Thompson's first career submission loss and a significant moment in the realm of mixed-martial-arts sports.
