Leon Edwards showed his class and composure as he defeated Colby Covington with consummate ease in the main event of UFC 296 in Las Vegas.
After a fight week that saw Covington stoop to a new low by mocking Edwards over his murdered father, Edwards entered the arena looking steely eyed and focused, and the Birmingham native produced a performance full of maturity and controlled aggression as he dominated the former interim champion over the five-round championship duration.
Covington made an uncharacteristically slow start, and never really got going as Edwards comfortably controlled the range of the fight, scoring consistently with thumping leg kicks and nullifying Covington's wrestling.
Takedown attempts were stuffed, while the odd occasion when the challenger was able to get the champion to the mat, Edwards was able to battle back to his feet with relative ease. The champion also threatened to finish the fight, with attempts to lock up a ninja choke and an inverted triangle choke during the championship rounds.
It wasn't until late in the final round that Covington was able to take Edwards down and hold him there for any length of time. But by then, the champion was four rounds up, and Covington was unable to mount any offense from top position as the clock ran out on his third unsuccessful title challenge.
After the judges each scored the bout 49-46 to Edwards, the defending champion revealed that the emotions from earlier in the week were a major obstacle as he tried to stay composed for his second title defense.
But, when he stepped into the Octagon, he stayed ice cool to run out a comfortable winner, and set up a likely rematch with former foe – and UFC 296 backup fighter – Belal Muhammad in 2024, potentially at UFC 300.
Relentless Pantoja retains flyweight title
In the co-main event, Brazil's Alexandre Pantoja pushed a relentless pace and leaned heavily on his wrestling to defeat Brandon Royval and retain his undisputed flyweight title.
Pantoja came flying out of the traps in Round 1 as he pushed Royval onto his heels early, and the Brazilian's constant forward pressure and well-timed takedowns saw him dominate the first half of the fight.
Royval survived a triangle choke in Round 3, then showed some impressive striking on the feet as he looked to fire his way back into the fight with slick boxing. But, despite some solid punches, and a big knee, connecting with the champion, another takedown killed his momentum, just as he seemed to be picking up steam.
After a strong Pantoja round in the fourth, an impassioned pep talk from coach Marc Montoya sent Royval into the final round in inspired mood, as "Raw Dawg" started to light up the champion with strikes.
But, just as it looked as if Royval might have a slim chance of claiming a remarkable come-from-behind victory, Pantoja found another takedown to swing the momentum back in his favor once again.
The judges scorecards gave Pantoja a dominant victory, with scores of 50-45, 50-45, 49-46, but the Brazilian was made to work hard by a scrappy Royval, who refused to back down throughout the full 25-minute duration.
Rakhmonov breaks down 'Wonderboy'
Undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov added another notable name to his list of victims with a second-round submission victory over former title challenger Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.
After a first round that offered little in the way of crowd-pleasing action, things opened up a little more in Round 2, and, after eventually taking Thompson to the mat, slowly, gradually, calmly advanced his position in search of a submission finish.
One face crank looked close to forcing the tap, but "Wonderboy" showed some serious grit to escape and keep the bout alive. But Rakhmonov kept the pressure on and, with the seconds ticking down at the end of the round, he flattened out "Wonderboy" and forced him to tap to a rear-naked choke with four seconds left in the round.
Following his win, Rakhmonov stated that he should have a title fight next. After handing "Wonderboy" his first UFC submission loss, he might just get it.
Pimblett dominates Ferguson to make it five in a row
After a calm, composed opening, Pimblett started to let his shots go, and put Ferguson in big trouble in the closing moments of the round with a multi-punch combination.
"The Baddy" backed Ferguson against the cage and overwhelmed him with strikes that sent "El Cucuy" to the mat. Once there, the Liverpudlian switched between ground and pound and rear-naked choke attempts, but Ferguson, despite being in dire straits, was able to do enough to survive the round.
Round 2 saw Pimblett on top once aginas the action went to the mat early. Pimblett worked almost exclusively from Ferguson's guard as he fed the former TUF winner a steady diet of ground strikes while fending off the American's attempts to work an opening for a triangle choke.
Round 3 started with Pimblett looking tired, and Ferguson attempted to push the pace in search of a dramatic turnaround. But, despite looking labored on the feet, Pimblett found the energy to pick up Ferguson and slam him to the mat.
With the action on the ground, Pimblett once again looked to work from inside the guard, while Ferguson attempted to score with elbows and punches off his back. Ferguson had the crowd on their feet with a brief guillotine attempt, but Pimblett quickly fought his way free before scoring with ground strikes until the final buzzer.
When the scores were totalled, there was a surprising lack of a 10-8 in the first round, but all three judges gave all three rounds to Pimblett, with 30-27 scores across the board as he extended his UFC win streak to five.
Emmett demolishes Mitchell with colossal KO
In the opening bout of the main card, Josh Emmett scored one of the biggest knockouts in recent UFC memory with a massive one-shot finish of Bryce Mitchell.
Mitchell started out looking to push Emmett onto the back foot, but the Team Alpha Male powerhouse soon found his rhythm and, after planting his feet, connected with a colossal right hand that instantly knocked Mitchell out cold.
There were moments of genuine concern for Mitchell as he laid on the mat, convulsing, after the knockout. But thankfully it wasn't long before "Thugnasty" was sat up, conscious, though he was still on very wobbly legs as he left the Octagon.
Emmett's victory was huge for his career, as it snapped a two-fight skid and put him right back in the mix at the sharp end of the 145-pound division.
UFC 296: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Leon Edwards def. Colby Covington via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – for welterweight title
- Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Royval unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – for flyweight title
- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:56
- Paddy Pimblett def. Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:57
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Alonzo Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Irene Aldana def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:42
- Ariane Lipski def. Casey O'Neill via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 1:18
EARLY PRELIMS
- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden via submission (face crank) – Round 2, 4:25
- Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:32
- Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Buday via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:56
