LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie reported from Friday’s official UFC 296 fighter weigh-ins, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 8 p.m. ET at The Theater at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The nearby T-Mobile Arena hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.
Among those who weighed in were welterweight champion Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and challenger Colby Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and challenger Brandon Royval (15-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
All 24 athletes made weight – with a little drama to conclude the session, as former UFC title challenger Irene Aldana needed to box to hit the bantamweight limit.
The final UFC main event of 2023 is OFFICIAL! ⚖️
Leon Edwards and Colby Covington have made weight for their #UFC296 title fight. pic.twitter.com/vcTFEYaqqo
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 15, 2023
The rematch is official! Flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Brandon Royval make weight for the #UFC296 co-main event. pic.twitter.com/fkfBpA5HYu
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 15, 2023
The full UFC 296 weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Leon Edwards (170) vs. Colby Covington (169.5) – for welterweight title
- Champ Alexandre Pantoja (125) vs. Brandon Royval (124.5) – for flyweight title
- Shavkat Rakhmonov (171) vs. Stephen Thompson (171)
- Tony Ferguson (155.5) vs. Paddy Pimblett (155.5)
- Josh Emmett (146) vs. Bryce Mitchell (145.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Dustin Jacoby (204.5) vs. Alonzo Menifield (204.5)
- Irene Aldana (136) vs. Karol Rosa (135.5)
- Cody Garbrandt (136) vs. Brian Kelleher (136)
- Ariane Lipski (126) vs. Casey O’Neill (125)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Cody Durden (126) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (126)
- Lucas Almeida (146) vs. Andre Fili (145.5)
- Martin Buday (264.5) vs. Shamil Gaziev (259.5)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.