UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington took place on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — the final UFC PPV of 2023. It was a two-title card headlined by Leon Edwards's welterweight title defense against Colby Covington, with Alexandre Pantoja defending the flyweight title against Brandon Royval in the co-main. The card produced an estimated 600,000 pay-per-view buys.
Leon Edwards retained the welterweight title via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) — a dominant five-round performance that shut out Covington across the judges' cards. It was Edwards's third consecutive welterweight title defense and the most one-sided result of his championship reign. Alexandre Pantoja submitted Brandon Royval with a rear-naked choke at 1:53 of round five after an exhausting five-round battle, successfully defending the flyweight title in his first defense.
The card also featured Shavkat Rakhmonov defeating Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision in what many observers called the most impressive welterweight contender performance of 2023 — the Uzbek welterweight extending his unbeaten MMA record to 17-0.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
📍 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 20,171 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $7.2 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~600,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Leon Edwards (c) vs. Colby Covington — UFC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs)
✅ Result: Edwards def. Covington via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
🥇 Co-Main: Alexandre Pantoja (c) def. Brandon Royval via Submission (rear-naked choke) — R5, 1:53 — Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
Leon Edwards entered UFC 296 off his majority-decision trilogy win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 286. Colby Covington was 16-3 in MMA and a former interim welterweight champion — he had previously challenged Kamaru Usman twice (losses at UFC 245 and UFC 268) and had not fought since his TKO loss to Usman at UFC 268 in November 2021 — a two-year layoff. The fight was framed as the welterweight's most polarising challenger getting his delayed title shot.
The co-main was Alexandre Pantoja making the first defense of his UFC 290-won flyweight title against Brandon Royval — a top-five flyweight ranked #3 in the division. Royval was 16-6 with eight UFC wins; the fight was his first title shot.
Main Event: Edwards vs. Covington
A comprehensive five-round championship shutout. Edwards used his volume striking and his takedown defense to control all five rounds. Covington's wrestling pressure — which had been the key to his wins over Jorge Masvidal, Tyron Woodley, and others — was neutralised by Edwards's consistent scrambles and cage work.
Rounds one through three were Edwards's on volume and takedown defense. Covington's wrestling scored one takedown in round two (held for 45 seconds) but could not establish the sustained ground control that had won him rounds against Usman. Rounds four and five were Edwards's most dominant — the champion pressed forward with sustained combination striking in both championship rounds, landing at a 55% significant strike clip in round five.
Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 50-45. The 50-45 card was the most definitive; the 49-46 cards accurately reflected one round (round two) as remotely competitive. Edwards had shut out Covington in four of five rounds on all three judges' cards. He would defend the title next against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester in July 2024 (UD loss — Muhammad won the title).
Co-Main Event: Pantoja vs. Royval
A back-and-forth flyweight championship fight. Royval pressed forward with sustained strikes in rounds one and three; Pantoja used his wrestling and his body work to grind out rounds two and four. The championship round was the decider. At 1:20 of round five, Pantoja scored a takedown, worked to Royval's back, and locked in a tight rear-naked choke. Royval defended for 30 seconds before tapping at 1:53. Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his flyweight title for the first time.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Leon Edwards (c) def. Colby Covington — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) — Welterweight Title
Alexandre Pantoja (c) def. Brandon Royval — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R5, 1:53 — Flyweight Title
Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Welterweight
Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett — Pimblett def. Ferguson via Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight (Ferguson's eighth consecutive loss)
Rodolfo Bellato def. Phil Hawes — TKO (punches) — R2, 2:01 — Middleweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Matthew Semelsberger — TKO (punches) — R2, 2:16 — Welterweight
Chris Padilla def. Gabe Green — TKO (punches) — R1, 4:01 — Welterweight
Trevor Peek def. Christos Giagos — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Alexandre Pantoja — $50,000 for the fifth-round rear-naked choke submission of Brandon Royval.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Shavkat Rakhmonov — $50,000 for the dominant unanimous-decision win over Stephen Thompson (UFC 10-0, all finishes or dominant decisions).
🥇 Performance of the Night: Paddy Pimblett — $50,000 for the unanimous-decision win over Tony Ferguson.
Records & Milestones
• Edwards's third consecutive welterweight title defense — the most dominant by any welterweight champion since Usman's five-defense reign.
• Tony Ferguson's eighth consecutive UFC loss — surpassing his own modern-era losing streak record.
• Shavkat Rakhmonov — UFC 10-0, the most feared unbeaten welterweight contender of 2023.
• The last UFC PPV of 2023 — closing a year that produced the Strickland upset, the Grasso-Shevchenko title change, the Jones HW debut, and the O'Malley KO.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 296 is remembered as the definitive Leon Edwards statement performance and the Tony Ferguson farewell. The 50-45 Edwards card against Covington — who had pushed Usman to the limit twice — confirmed Edwards as the most complete welterweight of the post-Usman era. The Ferguson-Pimblett result was the formal close of Ferguson's active UFC career; he was released from the UFC in May 2025 following the eight-fight losing streak.
Edwards lost the welterweight title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester in July 2024 (UD). His three-defense championship reign (Usman 3, Covington, and the failed Muhammad defense) stands as the most accomplished welterweight run since Kamaru Usman's own five-defense peak. For Shavkat Rakhmonov, the Thompson win was the launching pad for his first welterweight title shot against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 in December 2024 (draw).
FAQ
Why was the result so one-sided?
Covington's primary tool — wrestling pressure and takedown volume — was shut down by Edwards's takedown defense (successfully defended 9 of 10 takedown attempts). Covington's striking output was lower than in his Usman fights, possibly reflecting the two-year layoff; Edwards's combination volume was the highest output of his championship run. The 50-45 card accurately reflected the fight.
What happened to Covington after UFC 296?
He has not fought again as of mid-2025, making UFC 296 his most recent MMA fight. His career record stands at 16-4 — three losses to Usman (twice) and Edwards. His future in the UFC remains uncertain.
Did Rakhmonov get a title shot after UFC 296?
Yes — against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 in December 2024. The fight ended in a majority draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Muhammad), one of the most unusual title-fight results in modern UFC history. Rakhmonov did not win the title; Muhammad retained. The draw set up a potential rematch.
How does UFC 296 compare to UFC 295?
UFC 296 drew approximately 600,000 PPV buys versus UFC 295 (650,000) five weeks earlier — a 50,000-buy drop. Edwards vs. Covington drew well despite the absence of a star-power main event on the level of Pereira-Prochazka; the Vegas year-end card framing and the Pantoja-Royval co-main contributed to solid numbers.
Comments