Thrilling World Championship Doubleheader Tops UFC 296 In Las Vegas

Edwards (21-3 1NC, fighting out of Birmingham, England) looks to continue his momentum following winning his trilogy bout against former titleholder Kamaru Usman. Currently riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak, he has also earned spectacular victories over Nate Diaz, Rafael Dos Anjos and Gunnar Nelson. Edwards now intends to further cement himself as the top welterweight on the planet.

Former interim welterweight champion Covington (17-3, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) returns to action following his dominant win against heated rival Jorge Masvidal. An NCAA Division I All-American, he has also delivered notable victories over Tyron Woodley, Robbie Lawler and Rafael Dos Anjos. Covington now has his sights set on stopping Edwards in emphatic fashion.

Pantoja (26-5, fighting out of Arraial Do Cabo, Brazil) is coming off his Fight of the Year contender victory over Brandon Moreno to capture the flyweight belt. A talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, he also holds wins against Alex Perez, Manel Kape and Wilson Reis. Pantoja now hopes to finish Royval for a second time to continue his run atop the 125-pound ladder.

Royval (15-6, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) intends to steal the show with another highlight-reel finish. Among the most exciting competitors in the flyweight division, he has earned memorable victories over Matheus Nicolau, Matt Schnell and Kai Kara-France. Royval now plans to even the score with Pantoja and achieve his dream of becoming UFC champion.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Undefeated No. 6 ranked welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0, fighting out of Kokshetau, Kazakhstan) battles former title challenger and No. 7 Stephen Thompson (17-6-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C.)
   
• Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson (26-9, fighting out of Orange County, Calif.) collides with Paddy Pimblett (20-3, fighting out of Liverpool, England) in a highly anticipated matchup
   
• No. 10 ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque (22-9-1, fighting out of Brasília, Brazil) locks horns with unbeaten No. 11 Ian Machado Garry (13-0, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Belo Horizonte, Brazil)
   
• No. 6 ranked contender Josh Emmett (18-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) meets No. 8 Giga Chikadze (15-3, fighting out of Tbilisi, Georgia) in an exciting featherweight bout
   
• No. 15 ranked Alonzo Menifield (14-3-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) faces No. 15 Dustin Jacoby (19-7-1, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) in a clash of light heavyweight contenders
   
• Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt (13-5, fighting out of Sacramento,Calif.) faces Brian Kelleher (24-14, fighting out of Selden, N.Y.) in a bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks
   
• Streaking heavyweight Martin Buday (13-1, fighting out of Trnava, Slovakia) takes on undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series signee Shamil Gaziev (11-0, fighting out of Kingdom of Bahrain)
   
• No. 5 ranked women’s bantamweight contender Irene Aldana (14-7, fighting out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) returns against No. 9 Karol Rosa (17-5, fighting out of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
   
• Randy Brown (17-5, fighting out of Queens, N.Y. by way of Spanish Town, Jamaica) faces Muslim Salikhov (19-4, fighting out of Buynaksk, Dagestan, Russia) in an all-action welterweight tilt
   
• No. 13 ranked flyweight contender Tagir Ulanbekov (15-2, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) looks to defend his spot in the rankings against Cody Durden (16-4-1, fighting out of Covington, Ga.)
   
• No. 14 ranked women’s flyweight contender Casey O’Neill (9-1, fighting out of Gold Coast, Australia) squares off with Ariane Lipski (16-8, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil.
   

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.