UFC 296 Date, Location, Rumors, Confirmed Fights and Betting Odds
The final PPV of the year is approaching fast, and with some new information about the event dropping recently, let's go over everything we know about UFC 296.
Location
The event will take place inside the T-Mobile Arena, as every December PPV has done for the past four years (except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). The event will be on December 16th.
The T-Mobile has hosted many historic events like UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington and UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier. It also hosted the historic UFC 229 event, where Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor fought for the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship. Other fighters like Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Nate Diaz, and Jon Jones have also fought in the T-Mobile.
Confirmed Fights
The current Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards will attempt to make the second defence of his title against Colby Covington in the main event. Edwards is riding an eleven-fight win streak, and Colby Covington is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career vs. Jorge Masvidal.
The co-main event will be Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval, a rematch from a bout two years ago where Alexandre Pantoja won via second round submission. Pantoja will be looking to make the first defence of his Flyweight title, and Royval will be looking to capture UFC gold for the first time in his career.
Rumored Bouts
The only rumored bout for UFC 296 was the highly anticipated showdown between the former UFC Champ-Champ Conor McGregor and the former 3x Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler. The bout initially came into fruition when Chandler called out McGregor in 2021 and then again in 2022. The two then participated in the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, which Chandler won 8-2. Both men have lost their last two fights, meaning a victory and loss could make or break their careers. However, it seems this matchup will go down in early 2024.
The oddsmakers are always confident in Israel Adesanya.
— Verdict (@TournamentsMMA) April 5, 2023
He's lost 3 fights to Alex Pereira, but the oddsmakers still have him as a favorite heading into this weekend.#UFC287 pic.twitter.com/0MF4krsH1v
Betting Odds
Leon Edwards opened as a small underdog, but the lines have swapped with Covington coming in as an underdog, likely because of his long layoff. Edwards is now a -105 favourite, and Covington is a +140 dog, per BestFightOdds.com.
We'll keep this space updated with all the information that surfaces, so make sure to check back so you can get all the information for UFC 296. As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know who you think will win in the comments below.
