Leon Edwards, Alexandre Pantoja Retain Titles in One-Sided UFC 296 Decisions

Leon Edwards proved yet again that bite matters far more than bark in a dog-eat-dog world.

The Team Renegade star kept his emotions in check and outstruck Colby Covington across five rounds to retain the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title with a unanimous decision in the UFC 296 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Edwards (22-3, 14-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 49-46 marks from all three members of the cageside judiciary.

Covington (17-4, 12-4 UFC) seemed tentative and unsure of himself, and while he delivered takedowns in the third and fifth rounds, he failed to consolidate them with anything meaningful. The spaces in between were dominated by Edwards. He chopped away at Covington’s lead leg with kicks, leaned on surgical counters and hammered the MMA Masters rep’s midsection with front kicks. The challenger scrambled into top position in the back half of Round 5 and applied some mild ground-and-pound, but the outcome had long been decided.

Pantoja Downs Royval, Keeps Flyweight Title

Repeated takedowns and stifling control carried American Top Team’s Alexandre Pantoja to a unanimous decision in his rematch with Brandon Royval, as he retained the undisputed flyweight championship in the five-round co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it for Pantoja (27-5, 11-3 UFC): 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.

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The result boiled down to one cold reality: Royval (15-7, 5-3 UFC) could not stay upright. Pantoja executed takedowns in all five rounds, maintained top position—he often settled in side control—and bled valuable time off the clock. Royval managed to steer clear of the Brazilian’s active submission game but spent too much time pinned to the canvas. The Factory X mainstay excelled in the standup exchanges, especially in the third round and in parts of the fifth, though his inability to stay on the feet proved costly once his 25 minutes were up.

Pantoja, who now holds a 2-0 advantage in his head-to-head series with Royval, will ride a five-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Unbeaten Rakhmonov Taps Thompson

Fast-rising Kill Cliff Fight Club star Shavkat Rakhmonov put away Stephen Thompson with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their welterweight showcase. Thompson (17-7-1, 12-7-1 UFC), who had never before been submitted, bowed out 4:56 into Round 2.

Rakhmonov (18-0, 6-0 UFC) wore down “Wonderboy” with a soul-stealing clinch for most of the first round. He closed the distance in the middle stanza, secured a takedown and softened Thompson with punches before making his first pass at a rear-naked choke. Rakhmonov bailed on it, chipped away at the South Carolinian’s resolve with repeated elbows and toyed with a brabo choke before spinning behind his kneeling adversary. The onetime M-1 Global champion then snuck his arms in place, tightened his squeeze and forced the tapout.

The 29-year-old Rakhmonov has finished all 18 of his opponents.

Pimblett Overwhelms Reeling Ferguson

Former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Paddy Pimblett cleared another hurdle with a workmanlike unanimous decision over Tony Ferguson in a three-round lightweight attraction. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Pimblett (21-3, 5-0 UFC), who has rattled off seven consecutive victories.

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Pimblett nearly finished it in the first round, where he drove “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 winner to the canvas with a flurry of punches and a flying knee. He followed up with ground-and-pound and flirted with a rear-naked choke, only to see Ferguson (25-10, 15-8 UFC) withstand those efforts. Pimblett turned to takedowns and top control across the final 10 minutes, as he kept fatigue at bay and stayed active enough to avoid a referee restart.

Ferguson, who turns 40 in February, now finds himself on a seven-fight losing streak.

Emmett Flips Switch on Replacement Mitchell

Team Alpha Male’s Josh Emmett rebounded from back-to-back losses to Yair Rodriguez and Ilia Topuria, as he punched out Bryce Mitchell in the first round of their featherweight appetizer. A short-notice replacement for Giga Chikadze, Mitchell (16-2, 7-2 UFC) met his end—it was violent, sudden and unsettling—1:57 into Round 1.

Emmett (19-4, 10-4 UFC) controlled the cage from the center, circled on the perimeter and closed in. He beat Mitchell to the punch with a devastating right hook that sent “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 semifinalist crashing to the canvas. No follow-up shots were required. Mitchell, 29, appeared to have a seizure before he regained consciousness.

It was the seventh first-round finish of Emmett’s 23-fight career.

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