Slated for later this week at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 296 features two fantastic title bouts. Kicking off your UFC 296 betting preview and predictions, the main event of the evening will be UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards taking on former interim champion Colby Covington. The former of course is coming off back-to-back wins against the dominating Kamaru Usman while Covington is making his return after last competing at UFC 272 (a victory over Jorge Masvidal). Meanwhile, the other title fight of the night will pit current UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja against Brandon Royval. The two previously matched up in August 2021 when the former won via second-round submission.
In this report, SBS will review what to look for from each combatant, a selected winner, and even more notes about your UFC 296 betting card.
| UFC 296 Main Event Bouts | The Pick |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards (c) | Edwards | -145 | -145 | -145 |
| Brandon Royval vs. Alexandre Pantoja (c) | Pantoja | -170 | -170 | -170 |
Fighter Spotlight: Leon Edwards
Recognized as a top-five fighter in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings, Edwards is coming off back-to-back sensational welterweight wins over Kamaru Usman. With an overall record of 21-3, the English combatant has been on a tear as of late. In his first win over Usman at UFC 278, he was able to score a spectacular fifth-round head kick knockout which earned him Performance of the Night honors. Moreover, he has won seven fights in his career by way of knockout along with three submission wins. He has also never been knocked out in a professional MMA bout. Since losing to Usman back in December 2015, he has won 11 fights in a row, with one no-contest to Belal Muhammad (March 2021) in between.
Fighter Spotlight: Colby Covington
Covington, known for his Kurt Angle entrance music and boisterous promos, last fought back in March of last year in a unanimous decision-winning effort against Masvidal. Starting his career with a 15-1 record, he has won three of his last five bouts, with both of those losses coming to Usman in Welterweight Championship fights. A fighter with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lineage background, Covington also was an All-American wrestler out of Oregon State in the early 2010s. A southpaw striker, he has an arsenal of punches and kicks he can roll out and at one point set the record for attempted strikes in a UFC bout with 541. While he is coming off a Fight of the Night outing against Masvidal, it has also been some time since he last stepped in the ring which could play a factor in this fight.
Prediction: This should be a fun fight, but Edwards will have the upper hand here given his superior record and the certain ring rust that Covington will run into.
Fighter Spotlight: Alexandre Pantoja
The reigning UFC Flyweight Champion, the Brazilian fighter has put together a fantastic professional MMA record of 26-5. Pantoja won the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 290 back in July via a split decision Fight of the Night victory over Brandon Moreno. In his career, he has won 10 bouts via submission and also scored eight knockout wins which is a higher number for flyweight competitors. Moreover, as noted above he will be looking for his second consecutive win over Royval after forcing him to submit in August 2021.
Fighter Spotlight: Brandon Royval
With three consecutive wins, Royval has found himself again facing Pantoja, the fighter who handed him his last defeat back in 2021. However, the American is coming off back-to-back Performance of the Night/Fight of the Night outings. In his most recent bout against Matheus Nicolau, he was able to score the knockout win with a knee and elbow flourish in the first round of the fight. Prior to that fight, he was victorious over Matt Schnell at UFC 274 with a guillotine choke submission win. With an overall record of 15-6, this will be his biggest fight to date and he will certainly have a lot of support in the crowd with his native Denver, not being too far away from Las Vegas (at least in terms of AFC West opponents).
Prediction: Another close bout, take Pantoja to retain here given his familiarity with Royval and more extensive body of work.
Once you are all dialed in regarding the latest news and information coming from the world of UFC, make sure to also check out the wide variety of info for you at SBS. Of course, for all of your UFC 296 bets and beyond, an excellent page to bookmark is the UFC betting sites guide which covers all of the latest news and betting lines from the sport. Moreover, to have the best UFC 296 bets in terms of additional value, make sure to look into our best bonus betting sites rundown. Here you can find a catalog of the latest and greatest welcome bonus offers to help juice up not only your UFC 296 picks and beyond. Finally, if you are someone who is always on the go, an excellent page to peruse is the mobile betting sites breakdown which covers all of the nuances of mobile betting.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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