UFC 296 features a jam-packed fight night event to end the 2023 year, highlighted by two title fights in the main event the welterweight championship is on the line when Leon Edwards takes title challenger Colby Covington. Also in the co-main event, the men’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja looking to defend his title for the first time against surging contender Brandon Royval. Find everything you need to know about UFC 296 including the date, time, fight card, and more.
The 2023 UFC season has come to a close and we have one last historic event on tap live at the T-Mobile Arena with UFC 296. We have not one but two title fights with the headliner being for the welterweight strap as Leon Edwards is set to defend his title a second time when he takes on former two-time title challenger Colby Covington. Edwards defied the odds to defeat longtime reigning champion Kamaru Usman not once but twice and now he gets to prove his dominance when he attempts to make it 12 wins in a row when he takes on now three-time title challenger Colby Covington. Meanwhile, this will be Covington’s first and only fight of 2023 and he will be looking to make the most of it by claiming what he believes is rightfully his, the UFC welterweight championship.
In the co-main event, we have the men’s flyweight championship on the line when newly crowned Alexandre Pantoja will look to defend his title for the first time against a familiar foe in Brandon Royval this Saturday at UFC 296. Pantoja did the unthinkable and fairly dominated a great champion Brandon Moreno for the majority of the fight to win the flyweight championship. Royval on the other hand has now won three straight fights after losing to Pantoja back in August 2021. He has been on an absolute tear as he solidified his status as the top contender in the division with a vicious knockout of Matheus Nicolau in the first round. This fight is the turning point of the careers of both of these flyweights and it will certainly be an exciting fight worth watching.
Scroll down to learn everything you need about UFC 296 event including the date, time, fight card, and more.
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How to Watch UFC 296
- 🥊 UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
- 📅 Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
- 🕙 Time: 10:00 pm ET
- 🏟 Location: T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, NV
- 📺 TV Channel: ESPN + PPV
- 📊 UFC Stats: Edwards 21-3 | Covington 17-3
- 🎲 UFC Odds: Edwards (-170) | Covington (+145)
How to Watch UFC 296 With A Free Live Stream
The UFC 296 fight card will be televised on ESPN+.
For MMA fans who have cut the cord or don’t have access to ESPN or their streaming services, there is another way to watch the fight.
BetOnline offers members the ability to watch MMA matches once they’ve placed a wager on the bout. That means new members can sign up for BetOnline and watch UFC 296 fight card almost instantly.
Here’s how to watch UFC 296 fight card with a free live stream.
- Click here to sign up to BetOnline
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- Stream the UFC 296 fight card for free
UFC 296 Fight Card
The full UFC 296 fight card has been released with Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington headlining this fight card.
There will be 13 fights in total, beginning with the preliminary card at 6:00 P.M. EST. Headlining the prelims is a women’s bantamweight matchup between two fighters looking to climb up the rankings in Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa. Opening up the main card is a barnburner in the featherweight division between former interim title challenger Josh Emmett and short-notice replacement Bryce Mitchell.
Then we have a lightweight matchup between former interim title challenger Tony Ferguson who’s looking to get back on track as he takes on rising star Paddy Pimblett. Up after that, is the featured bout on the main card in the welterweight division between the dangerous and undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov and a mainstay in the welterweight rankings Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
UFC 296 Main Card (ESPN+ PPV 10 P.M. ET)
- Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
- Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett
- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson
- Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell
UFC 296 Preliminary Card (ESPN 2 / ESPN+, 8 P.M. ET)
- Irene Aldana vs. Karol Rosa
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Brian Kelleher
- Casey O’Neill vs. Ariane Lipski
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Dustin Jacoby
UFC 296 Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6 P.M. ET)
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Cody Durden
- Andre Fili vs. Lucas Almeida
- Martin Buday vs. Shamil Gaziev
- Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov
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