In UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington, the bigger picture is shown.
By wrestling Colby Covington, Edwards may have made things harder for himself than they needed to be, but “Rocky” won the first four matches and looked great for most of the fight, showing off his precise, related to technology striking and constantly improving battling skills as well.
To keep the flyweight title and get his second won over the Factory X man, Pantoja chose to attack Brandon Royval’s takedown defense as well as grind out a win on the ground.
Even an opponent like Royval, who is good at making mistakes, couldn’t get away from the Brazilian on the canvas. Pantoja couldn’t find a way to end the fight, but the result was never truly in question.
While each man is enjoying the end of the year with the gold remaining at their waist, they ought to be thinking as well about 2024, since each has a group of rivals waiting in line to try to knock them off their perches.
The welterweight champion still needs to settle a score with Belal Muhammad, and fellow UFC 296 winner Shavkat Rakhmonov is still ridiculously impressive.
On the other hand, Sean Brady, Jack Della Maddalena, or Ian Machado Garry are all on the rise and could all be in the running in the first half of next year.
After ending things by facing the Brandons in 2023, Pantoja might face Manel Kape again in 2024 if he keeps winning, or Amir Albazi if “The Prince” beats Moreno in the first round.
Besides these two, there is a new group of players, lead by Muhammad Mokaev, who want to win the championship and are getting closer to the highest point of the division.
When Edwards and Pantoja play again, it will be interesting to observe how they prepare, because the choices they made on Saturday night could make their next opponents much more dangerous.
After a crazy last pay-per-view show in 2023, the UFC’s year is over. As of now, UFC 296 is over, and the two kings who came into the night still lead their divisions.
Colby Covington’s final chance at the welterweight title was blocked by Leon Edwards in a decision win.
In their rematch to defend the flyweight title, Alexandre Pantoja did the exact same to Brandon Royval.
During the five rounds, Edwards beat up Covington from a distance most of the time. Covington didn’t seem interested in fighting or grappling like he usually does.
Edwards stuffed and turned him over when he tried to take him down, showing a full game to keep his title.
And to start the PPV, Josh Emmett knocked out Bryce Mitchell with a few of the most stunning blows I can remember.
Pantoja, on the other hand, was a fitness machine against Royval. He outgrappled him and put too much pressure on him, overpowering him.
Even though both fighters were tired by the end of the fight, Royval possessed a few moments, but Pantoja still won and kept his title.
In another fight on the show, Shavkat Rakhmonov beat Stephen Thompson by submission to stake his claim with a title shot. In 18 professional fights, Rakhmonov has never lost and has always won all of them.
Also, Paddy Pimblett hit Tony Ferguson hard from the start and never let up. He came back from an injury to win, while Ferguson lost his seventh straight fight.
In the UK, UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington costs £19.99 and can be watched online or on EE TV, Virgin Media TV, or Sky. You can buy this event even if you don’t pay for TNT Sports.
People who pay for TNT Sports will be able to watch the opening card on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+ starting at 1:00 AM. You will only be able to watch the main game on TNT Sports Box Office after 3 p.m.