Matches To Make After UFC 296

UFC 296 went down last night (Sat., Dec. 16, 2023) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada which saw Leon Edwards defend his Welterweight title by dominating Colby Covington for five rounds (highlights). In the co-headlining title fight, Alexandre Pantoja also had his way with Brandon Royval to retain his 125-pound title, while Josh Emmett scored one of the more impressive knockout wins of the year by sleeping Bryce Mitchell rather violently (video results here).

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Winner: Leon Edwards

Who He Should Face Next: Muhammad vs Rakhmonov winner

Prior to last night it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Belal Muhammad was next in line to face the winner. After all, he was pegged as the back up and made weight for UFC 296 in case either Covington or Edwards failed to show up to the event. But after Shavkat Rakhmonov had his way with Stephen Thompson earlier in the night to improve to 18-0, 6-0 UFC, “Nomad” complicated the title picture. Many felt he would jump the line with an impressive win, and while he did score the victory I am not too sure he will surpass “Remember The Name” just yet. While not official, I expect UFC to book Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov to see who gets “Rocky” next.

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Winner: Alexandre Pantoja

Who He Should Face Next: Amir Albazi

This one is a no-brainer. After Pantoja earned his first title defense with a win over Royval, the next man up has to be Albazi. Ranked No. 3 at the moment, Albazi is currently on a six-fight win streak with four finishes. His last win came against Kai Kara-France, who is ranked right beneath him at No. 4, so I don’t want to hear any talk about Kara-France getting next. Albazi is undefeated inside the Octaogn at 5-0, and actually went 2-0 in his short stint with Bellator MMA, as well.

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Winner: Shavkat Rakhmonov

Who He Should Face Next: Belal Muhammad

As impressive as Rokhmonov’s win was over Stephen Thompson, it doesn’t warrant him skipping over Belal Muhammad in the championship line. Muhammad has a 10-fight unbeaten streak all inside the Octagon, though Rokhmonov is undefeated at 18-0, 6-0 UFC. Muhammad was the back up for Edwards vs. Covington, and deserves to get the title fight next. That said, if the champion decides to sit out a while, or if the promotion feels the needs to see more from “Remember The Name,” then a title eliminator fight against Rakhmonov will be next.

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Winner: Paddy Pimblett

Who He Should Face Next: Bobby Green

Pimblett picked up his seventh straight win, fifth inside the Octagon, by scoring a hard-earned unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson, who came to fight and refused to lay down for “The Baddy.” It’s hard to tell just what kind of path UFC will try to take with Pimblett next. Will they give him a tougher opponent next? Will they continue to bring him along slowly? There is simply no telling. Up next for the fighting Englishman, a fight against Green sounds like a good time. Green is coming off brutal knockout loss at the hands of Jalin Turner, but I would still like to see him and “The Baddy” square up sometime in early 2024.

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Winner: Josh Emmett

Who He Should Face Next: Giga Chikadze

Emmett scored the knockout of the year so far with a perfectly-timed overhand right that rivaled that of Chuck Liddell’s — who was in attendance — icing Bryce Mitchell in the process. It was actually a pretty scary sight to see (video replay here). With the win, Emmett snaps his two-fight skid and gets some newfound confidence for his next fight, which should come against Chikadze, the man he was supposed to face at this event before he bowed out with an injury. It’s a matchup that still makes sense.

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For complete UFC 296 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.