A welterweight title clash between current champion Leon Edwards and Colby Covington will headline UFC 296 on December 16th in Las Vegas.
Edwards was last seen at UFC 286 in March where he proved his title-winning victory over long-time champ Kamaru Usman was no fluke when he beat him for a second time, albeit not as spectacularly as the first time, settling for a majority decision victory on this occasion.
That extended the 32-year-old Edwards current unbeaten streak to 12 fights, with other notable wins along the way including Rafael dos Anjos, Nate Diaz, Gunnar Nelson and Donald Cerrone.
Now Edwards will square up to Covington, who hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since a unanimous decision victory over his former friend and teammate turned bitter rival Jorge Masvidal back in March of last year.
In a now infamous incident just a couple of weeks later, Masvidal allegedly attacked Covington outside a restaurant in Miami, leaving him with damage that included a broken tooth and an alleged “brain injury”, resulting in ‘Gamebred’ being charged with aggravated battery.
Now, not far off two years later the 35-year-old Covington returns to action in what will be his third attempt to win the welterweight title, having previously lost to Kamaru Usman twice in 2019 and 2021.
Beyond that Covington’s resume is undeniably impressive though, having earned wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley, Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, Damien Maia and more during his 12-3 UFC run.
Edwards vs. Covington will front an end-of-year UFC 296 card that will also feature a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval in the co-main event.
