The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to end an exciting 2023 season with UFC 296. This event will take place on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In the main event, Leon Edwards will be defending his welterweight title against Colby Covington. The co-headliner features Alexandre Pantoja, who will be putting his flyweight crown on the line against Brandon Royval.
As we approach UFC 296 “Edwards vs. Covington,” let’s take a look at some interesting stats. These numbers give us an insight into the fighters’ performances and what they bring to the table.
It’s been 2,919 days since Edwards last faced a setback. The Team Renegade cornerstone lost a unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman at UFC on Fox 17, their first of three encounters, on Dec. 19, 2015. Since then, Edwards has had an impressive run with an 11-0 record in 12 subsequent outings, with one no contest.
Covington has earned $100,000 from his 15 appearances in the UFC. The MMA Masters export has been awarded “Fight of the Night” twice.
Pantoja has 10 wins by submission, which accounts for 38% of the American Top Team star’s career total. His preferred methods include seven rear-naked chokes, one armbar, one triangle choke, and one neck crank.
Royval, a professional mixed martial artist, has completed 39 rounds. The Factory X representative has gone the distance six times and has a 2-4 record in those bouts.
Shavkat Rakhmonov has fought in six different countries. In addition to a 7-0 record in his native Kazakhstan, the undefeated Kill Cliff Fight Club standout has gone 4-0 in the United States, 3-0 in Russia, 1-0 in Azerbaijan, 1-0 in South Korea, and 1-0 in the United Arab Emirates. Rakhmanov will be facing Stephen Thompson in a three-round welterweight showcase.
Thompson, the oldest fighter on the card, is 40 years old. He was born on Feb. 11, 1983, in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
Paddy Pimblett took only 21 seconds to defeat Jack Drabble with punches under the Olympian MMA Championships banner on June 1, 2013. This remains his fastest finish to date. Pimblett will be taking on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 winner Tony Ferguson in a three-round lightweight feature.
Ferguson has landed 1,159 significant strikes as a UFC lightweight. This places him fifth on the promotion’s all-time list at 155 pounds. Only Bobby Green (1,659), John Makdessi (1,293), Evan Dunham (1,225), and Dustin Porier (1,166) have connected with more.
The 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event have a cumulative winning percentage of .788. They have a combined record of 444-118-4. Pantoja has the most victories (26) of anyone on the card, while onetime Ring of Combat champion Brian Kelleher has the most losses (14). Kelleher will be facing Cody Garbrandt in a three-round bantamweight prelim.