UFC 296 Main Card: Colby’s last hurrah

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UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington preview

UFC 296 is how you end a tumultuous year that has seen some of the biggest news in years. From Francis Ngannou making the biggest free agency move the sport has ever seen to the antitrust lawsuit updates, 2023 was jam-packed with headlines, and most were not encouraging.

One of the things fight fans and pundits noticed most was how many cards seemed slapped together by an artificial intelligence program, devoid of any rhyme or reason. That isn’t the case with UFC 296. Both the main and the preliminary cards are chock full of bouts that will please even the most finicky fan.

We’re here to look at the main card which features two title bouts and a myriad of important match-ups that could determine top contender status and one that could see the winner challenge for the welterweight strap. Let’s take a look at what we’re working with:

UFC 296 Main Card

• – Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington 170 lbs
• – Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval 125 lbs
• – Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson 170 lbs
• – Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett 155 lbs
• – Vicente Luque vs. Ian Machado Garry 170 lbs

Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 83 main card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.

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Stephie Haynes

Stephie Haynes has been covering MMA since 2005. She has also worked for MMA promotion Proelite and apparel brand TapouT. She hosted TapouT’s official radio show for four years before joining Bloody Elbow in 2012. She has interviewed everyone there is to interview in the fight game from from Dana White to Conor McGregor to Kimbo Slice, as well as mainstream TV, film and music stars including Norman Reedus, RZA and Anthony Bourdain. She has been producing the BE podcast network since 2017 and hosts four of its current shows.

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