The UFC’s final event of the 2023 started with a bang, but ended somewhat slow as UFC 296 unfolded at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The two championship fights to close out the calendar year saw both belts stay put. Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated Colby Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) by unanimous decision to defend welterweight gold in the headliner, while Alexandre Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) also got the nod on the scorecards over Brandon Royval (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) to retain flyweight gold.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 296.
Event stats
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $339,500 – the highest tally of 2023.
Josh Emmett, Ariane Lipski, Shamil Gaziev, Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa earned $50,000 UFC 296 fight-night bonuses.
Debuting fighters went 1-0 on the card.
UFC 296 drew an announced attendance of 19,039 for a live gate of $9,300,000.
Betting favorites went 8-4 on the card.
Betting favorites finished as 26-16-1 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:15:46.
Leon Edwards def. Colby Covington
Edwards’ 13-fight UFC unbeaten streak at welterweight is tied with Islam Makhachev for the second-longest active streak in the division behind Jon Jones (18).
Edwards has earned nine of his 13 UFC victories by decision.
Covington became the 8th fighter in UFC history to fall to 0-3 in undisputed championship fights.
Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Royval
Pantoja’s 11 victories in UFC flyweight competition are third-most in divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (130 and Joseph Benavidez (13).
Pantoja’s five-fight UFC winning streak at flyweight is tied with Muhammad Mokaev for the longest active streak in the division.
Royval has suffered five of his seven career losses by decision.
Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson
Shavkat Rakhmonov’s (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied with Ian Garry for the longest active streak in the division.
Rakhmonov has earned all 18 of his career victories by stoppage.
Rakhmonov’s six-fight UFC stoppage streak is longest among active fighters in the company.
Rakhmonov’s five submission victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Gunnar Nelson (seven), Demian Maia (six) and Chris Lytle (six).
Stephen Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Paddy Pimblett def. Tony Ferguson
Paddy Pimblett’s (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is tied with Benoit Saint-Denis for the second-longest active streak in the division behind Islam Makhachev (12).
Tony Ferguson’s (25-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) seven-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2019.
Ferguson’s seven-fight UFC losing skid is tied with B.J. Penn for longest in company history.
Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell
Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) improved to 8-3 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in October 2017.
Emmett’s 12 knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Bryce Mitchell (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) fell to 1-2 in his past three fights after starting his career 15-0.
Mitchell has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.
Mitchell suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Alonzo Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby
Alonzo Menifield (15-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) earned just the second decision victory of his career.
Dustin Jacoby (19-8-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) fell to 7-3-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in October 2020.
Irene Aldana def. Karol Rosa
Aldana (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has earned four of her eight UFC victories by decision.
Aldana has been awarded four fight-night bonuses for UFC women’s bantamweight bouts, the fourth-most in divisional history behind Ronda Rousey (seven), Miesha Tate (five) and Amanda Nunes (four).
Aldana and Rosa (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) combined for 349 significant strikes landed, a new single-fight record for a UFC women’s bantamweight fight.
Rosa has suffered all three of her UFC losses by decision.
Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher
Cody Garbrandt (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) improved to 2-0 since he returned to the bantamweight division in March 2023.
Garbrandt has earned 11 of his 14 career victories by knockout.
Garbrandt’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Marlon Vera, Petr Yan and Montel Jackson for most in divisional history.
Brian Kelleher’s (24-15 MMA, 8-8 UFC) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2022.
Kelleher fell to 3-4 in UFC featherweight competition.
Kelleher has suffered five of his six UFC losses by stoppage.
Ariane Lipski def. Casey O'Neill
Lipski (17-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has earned both of her UFC stoppage victories by submission.
Casey O'Neill (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting her career 9-0.
O’Neill suffered the first stoppage loss of her career with a submission defeat.
Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden
Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC stoppage victories by submission.
Cody Durden (16-5-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career stoppage losses by submission.
Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida
Andre Fili (23-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) has earned 11 victories in UFC featherweight competition, tied for the fourth-most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (20), Darren Elkins (17) and Cub Swanson (14).
Fili has earned all of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
Lucas Almeida (14-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered two of his three career losses by stoppage.
Almeida suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Buday
Gaziev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned 11 of his 12 career victories by stoppage.
Martin Buday (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a TKO defeat.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
