Leon Edwards, Colby Covington will headline UFC 296

Leon Edwards, Colby Covington will headline UFC 296

The UFC welterweight title will be on the line at UFC 296 as Leon Edwards looks to defend his throne against Colby Covington. UFC CEO Dana White made the fight official on Twitter Wednesday.

🚨 HUGE FIGHT NEWS 🚨

November's #UFC295 co-main event will be @Jiri_BJP vs @AlexPereiraUFC for the vacant light heavyweight title!

AND your #UFC296 headliners will be @Leon_EdwardsMMA vs @ColbyCovMMA, with Alexandre Pantoja vs @BrandonRoyval serving as the co-main! pic.twitter.com/GTD5pnd1BD

— UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2023

UFC 296 is set to go down on Oct. 16, 2023, and will be the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of the year. The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

White initially said this fight would be booked after Leon Edwards defeated Kamura Usman for a second time at UFC 286. After several months of waiting, the bout finally has an official date.

At UFC 296, Edwards will be looking to extend his legacy past Usman. ‘Rocky’ left the series with two wins, a legendary knockout, the belt and a title defense. Now, he will look to add a second title defense to his resume.

In all likelihood, this will be Covington’s final shot at undisputed UFC gold.

Yes, he has won the interim championship, but the undisputed title has evaded him. In two attempts, despite fighting commendably, Covington was unable to dethrone Usman. If he loses to Edwards, the 35-year-old will have a long path back to the top.

UFC 296 will feature a flyweight title bout in the co-main event slot as newly crowned champion Alexandre Pantoja attempts to record his first title defense against Brandon Royval.

Pantoja earned the title after dethroning champion Brandon Moreno and proving he had the edge over his rival. Meanwhile, Royval lit the MMA world on fire as he knocked out Matheus Nicolau and proved he deserved a massive opportunity.

Pantoja and Royval first fought in 2021 and will be running it back for the title. In their first meeting, Pantoja finished Royval with a rear-naked choke in the second round in an entertaining barnburner. If the rematch lives up to the first bout, MMA fans will be in for a treat.

Is Leon Edwards Scared Of Colby Covington?

UFC fans have been patiently waiting for a welterweight title announcement and it is finally here. It is about time Leon Edwards and Colby Covington had their bout made official. The UFC even provided a cherry on top with a title fight in the co-main event.

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