UFC 296 Showdown
As the UFC calendar culminates with UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, fans are braced for an evening of high-voltage clashes. This card is not just about the physicality inside the octagon; it's a chess match of strategy, skill, and heart. Here's the breakdown of the key matchups with updated fighter records and betting odds.
Featherweight Fray: Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell
The featherweight division sees a compelling matchup between Josh Emmett (18-4-0) and Bryce Mitchell (16-1-0). Emmett, known for his knockout power, looks to bounce back from his recent struggles, having faced two consecutive losses. On the other hand, Mitchell, with only one loss to his name, comes off a solid win. This bout is a classic striker vs. grappler scenario, where Emmett's power meets Mitchell's grappling acumen.
Lightweight Showdown: Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett
In a highly anticipated lightweight bout, Tony Ferguson (25-9-0), a veteran of the octagon, faces the rising star Paddy Pimblett (20-3-0). Ferguson, despite recent setbacks, is known for his unorthodox style and formidable track record, including fights against top-tier opponents. Pimblett, entering with odds of -310, brings a fresh wave of energy and an impressive three-fight win streak in the UFC. This fight is a clash of experience versus momentum.
Flyweight Title Clash: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
The co-main event features Alexandre Pantoja (26-5-0) defending his title against Brandon Royval (15-6-0). Pantoja, coming off a controversial split decision win to capture the title, showcases a balanced skill set with 8 KOs and 10 submissions. Royval, known as “Raw Dawg,” has a point to prove, having lost to Pantoja in their previous encounter. This rematch is not just for the title but also for pride and redemption.
Welterweight Championship: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
The main event features Leon Edwards (20-3-0, -155) taking on Colby Covington (17-3-0, +130). Edwards, coming off a highly acclaimed trilogy with Kamaru Usman, displays a versatile skill set marked by tactical striking and solid grappling. Covington, a divisive figure in the sport, is known for his endurance and wrestling prowess. This fight is a high-stakes battle where strategy, skill, and sheer will collide.
Final Thoughts
UFC 296 is more than just a collection of fights; it's a showcase of martial arts at its finest, where each athlete brings their unique story into the octagon. Tune in on December 16th for an unforgettable night of action, starting with the prelims at 3 PM PST and culminating with the main card at 7 PM PST.
[Updated fighter records from Sherdog.com: Josh Emmett, Bryce Mitchell, Tony Ferguson, Paddy Pimblett, Alexandre Pantoja, and Brandon Royval.]
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Tony Ferguson fight week. There was a time where that drew up pure excitement, I miss those days. It was inevitable, a style that was so reckless accumulated damage.
Now he’s a shell of himself, on a losing streak where we can see those glimpses of the boogeyman he once was. If the UFC hadn’t held onto the pipe dream that Conor would actually defend his belt, maybe El Cucuy would have held gold. Maybe him and Khabib would have fought. Maybe that one employee wouldn’t have left that wire there.
Here’s to praying to the blood gods that Tony wins. At least don’t let him mess up his pre-fight knee slide like last time, it might actually make me turn off the tv.
Just bleed.
- Z
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Legendary fight between Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 last night: two gladiators in the twilight of their warrior years finally meeting after all this time. So glad we got to see those two legends together before they departed the colosseum for good.
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HI I AM RETURNING YOUR ASK!!!
fav fighters and why??????? go into so much detail tell me everything i am a preteen girl laying on her stomach swinging my legs :))
*cracks knuckles disgustingly* sorry this is gonna be really long and formatted like a buzzfeed article pls brace yourself and get a nice hot drink to sip on
el cucuy: lean, a little bit mean, definitely screams
(tuf 13 finale)
i first discovered tony through the ultimate fighter compilations and i instantly related to him because i’m also a non-white kid who grew up in a country ass town of fuckville, nowhere and got teased by my white classmates for it. clearly he had a rough childhood but i like to think that everything he’s been through has made him a stronger and wittier fighter. i unironically consider him one of the toughest and smartest in the game--which is weird because most people are chomping at the bit to call him stupid or cringe, but i stand by it!!
(tony OBLITERATING michael at the ufc 262 pre-fight press conference)
obvi his fighting style is super exciting to watch too. his spinning shit is top tier and i love that he has this edgy yet fun-loving personality where like. he’ll rip a guy’s arm off but he’ll do it with a smile on his face lol. it’s just very endearing to me for some reason.
(ufc 229: tony ferguson vs. anthony pettis)
also: least important of all the points but he's soo funny and i feel like if he were my age i'd just be in love with him?? i'm just so drawn to bizarre and lighthearted people LOL he's so friggin cute.
(ufc 216 embedded: vlog series - episode 4)
nick diaz
(elitexc: nick diaz vs mike aina)
my emo boy, my cesar gracie jiu jitsu black belt, my one and only (jk he would never) nick diaz!! now i’m not gonna lie it’s a lot harder for me to squeal about nick because he’s said multiple times that he doesn’t like fighting; it’s just what he does. the list of things he actually seems to care about include his family (most notably nate),
(ufc 266: espn interview with brett okamoto)
doing triathlons, and teaching jiu-jitsu and it tears me up inside that he fights because he feels pressured by the ufc and the fans. he’s even said multiple times that he started fighting to protect himself from other kids when he was in high school.
i feel conflicted because his “you-gotta-do-what-you-gotta-do” attitude is the reason why i love him so much, but it’s the same reason he keeps fighting (and suffering while ufc executives make money off of him)….
(ufc 47: backstage interview)
i guess the most appropriate thing i can fangirl about is his almost childlike bluntness and how much he hates the fame and the press. apparently he once rejected a sponsorship deal (that probably would have made him a lot of money) because he thought the product was ‘the stupidest fucking thing he'd ever seen in his life’. he also straight up said at a press conference for him vs. gsp that the ufc was "selling wolf-tickets" (aka lying to hype up the fight) like… RIGHT in front of dana lmao
if it were like the early 2000s i would definitely go on about how hot and fine he is, but given that he’s past his prime (through no fault of his own, he had 5 years of his career stolen from nsac for smoking weed) and signed to a fight promotion that doesn’t care about him, all i want is for him to retire peacefully and to be able to do what he wants :(
(dream 3: nick diaz vs katsuya inoue. hehe look at him bowing)
whenever people talk about nick’s fighting style, they always default to "he's got an iron chin, he's got endurance, and he talks a lot of shit" but he's also a jiu-jitsu practitioner who can be very respectful? he helps opponents up after fights (lifted frank shamrock from his feet and called him a legend) and even expresses remorse when he seriously hurts them (accidentally dislocated joe hurley's arm, immediately released him, and couldn't stop checking on him even though he just won) and like. idk. it makes me mad. he's actually so intelligent and polite and i wish more people would focus on that..
the highlight: an mma fighter for jesse pinkman enjoyers
(ufc fight night 135: pre-fight interview)
LOL obvious answer incoming. it’s justin gaethje!! now out of all the fighters i like, i think my love for him might be the most superficial 😭 i just find his face and body and whole demeanour so cuuute like?? his red hair? his big blue eyes? his cute little lip scar that he got from a headbutt (of course he did)? the fact that he seems so incredibly one-brain-celled almost every time he speaks? gaethje is a cage fighter with the bone density of a gorilla, but uhhh he's also kind of.... babey.
(wsof 34: justin gaethje vs. luiz firmino ROLLING THUNDERR WOOOOO!!!!!!)
but ofc the most important thing about a fighter is their fighting!! my favourite thing about gaethje’s style, weirdly enough, is how light and bouncy he is. i can’t think off the top of my head of any other fighters that have this weird quality?? it's how he’s able to apply lots of pressure on his opponents but also spin super-fast like a top whenever he needs to; like in the middle of a fight he'll go from kicking legs like he's 200 pounds to doing spinning shit like he's 125. idk it's crazy, i don't know how it works and i probably never will, but i just find that really fascinating
(ufc 209 embedded: vlog series - episode 3)
aand thats it!! phew you're finally free lol. i do love the other lightweights and some of the welter/middle/heavyweights but these three are my absolute favs so far! granted i've only watched like a portion of the ufc archive and i've yet to really explore anything else like one or bellator even though i really should--not to mention all the current ufc happenings. i'm pretty out of the loop but uhh you know i'm just a girl watching some cage fights and that's it really <3
anyways i hope you had fun reading this :> agghghhgh thank you for asking me back WOO
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