UFC 296 Update: Cody Garbrandt, Brian Kelleher to Meet in Las Vegas on Dec. 16

A bantamweight showdown pitting Cody Garbrandt against Brian Kelleher has been added to the UFC 296 lineup.

Eurosport NL was first to confirm the booking. UFC 296 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 16 and is headlined by a welterweight title bout between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington.

A former 135-pound champion, Garbrandt last appeared at UFC 285, where he earned a unanimous decision triumph over Trevin Jones on March 4. “No Love” was supposed to return against Mario Bautista at UFC 292, but the Team Alpha Male product was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury.

Kelleher will be back in action for the first time since June 2022, when he suffered a first-round submission defeat against Bautista at UFC on ESPN 38. The New York native is coming back after recently undergoing neck surgery, a procedure that put his career in jeopardy.