It’s been a year since the final PPV event in 2023 for the UFC. UFC 296 is in the books, with two champions entering the night still reigning in their respective divisions. Leon Edwards turned away Colby Covington’s third chance at welterweight gold in a decision victory and Alexandre Pandoja did the same to Brandon Royval in a rematch for the flyweight crown.
Edwards avoided Covington at the range for most of their five-round affair. The times he was taken down was blocked and reversed by Edwards, who produced a complete performance to retain his crown.
Pantoja, meanwhile, was a cardio machine against Royvale, outmaneuvering his opponent and suffocating him with pressure. Roywal had some moments in the final round and both wore down, but Pantoja still finished the fight and captured his title.
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Elsewhere on the card, Shavkat Rakhmonov cemented his claim to a title shot with a submission victory over Stephen Thompson. Rakhmonov continues to maintain a perfect finishing ratio in 18 pro fights. Additionally, Paddy Pimblett poured it on Tony Ferguson early on when Ferguson dropped his seventh straight fight as Ferguson recovered from injury to take the win. Josh Emmett delivered one of the most devastating knockouts in recent memory against Bryce Mitchell to open the PPV.
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UFC 296 fight card, results
- Leon Edwards (c) def. Colby Covington via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
- Alexandre Pantoja (c) def. Brandon Royval By unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson Second Round via Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
- Nell Pimblett def. Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell By first round knockout (punch)
- Alonso Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Irene Aldana dep. Carol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher via first round knockout (punches)
- Arian Lipsky def. Casey O’Neil via second round submission (armbar)
- Dakir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durton via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Andre Fili def. Luca Almeida via first round TKO (punches)
- Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Bude via second round TKO (punches)
UFC 296 Countdown
