The UFC looks to close 2023 in style by airing three huge events throughout December. UFC fans don’t have to wait until Christmas morning to unwrap their present because the highly anticipated fight between Dariush and Tsarukyan takes place this Sunday (3rd December). The Christmas celebration continues the following Sunday with a buildup of fascinatingly stacked fights between highly ranked fighters across the Bantamweight, Light Heavyweight and Flyweight divisions.
UFC will close the curtain on Sunday 17th December with UFC 296, featuring not one but two title bouts. The first one being a Welterweight matchup between current champion Leon Edwards and third ranked Colby Covington. The presents keep coming as the second title bout is for the Flyweight championship between current champion Alexandre Pantoja and fourth ranked challenger Brandon Royval. A matchup between Tony Ferguson and Paddy Pimblett is also set to take place in UFC 296. I know Tony is currently on a downhill spiral after losing the last 6 of his fights in the octagon but he’s a personal favourite of mine and so deserves a mention at least.
UFC Fight Night: Dariush vs. Tsarukyan
The headline event is set to take place in Austin, Texas on Sunday 3rd December. This is a significant fight in the Lightweight division which could potentially propel the winner into a title bout early next year against Islam Makhachev. Beneil Dariush comes into the fight ranked 4th in the division with an overall record of 25 wins and 5 losses.
The Iranian-born American will look to bounce back after his previous outing which ended in a humiliating loss against former champion Charles Oliveira in the first round at UFC 289 earlier this year. Prior to this fight, Dariush was on a 8-fight win streak stemming from 2018 beating notable opponents including Tony Ferguson and Scott Holtzma.
The Armenian-Russian Arman Tsarukyan comes into this fight currently ranked 8th in the division and a win for him against someone like Dariush (ranked 4th) would definitely see him climb the ranks and get him one step closer to the rematch which he craves against Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan made his UFC debut against Makhachev back in 2019, although Makhachev was not the champion at this time he was already a seasoned fighter and despite the desire and versatility displayed by Tsarukyan, Makhachev managed to grab the win via a unanimous decision.
Since then, the Armenian-Russian has lost just twice, boasting an impressive record of 20 wins and 3 losses in total. Leading up to this fight, Tsarukyan is in peak condition, winning his last 7 out of eight fights, the only loss was against Gamrot in June 2022 via unanimous decision in what was deemed a closely contested fight. Both Dariush and Tsarukyan are grappling experts with a strong ground and pound game so we should be in for an intriguing fight and I expect both fighters to approach the fight calculatingly and display top-tier technical wrestling ability.
UFC Fight Night 233: Song vs. Gutiérrez
Song Yadong AKA ‘The Kung Fu kid’ is a Chinese mixed martial artist currently ranked at 7th place in the Bantamweight division. If you are a regular UFC viewer then you know how fight cards and event headliners can change in a blink of an eye due to contingencies. UFC fight night 233 was no different, Song had defeated 6th ranked Marlon Vera in 2020 and since then has won 5 out of 6 fights including a technical knockout in the fifth round against Ricky Simón back in April.
Naturally, Song should be facing off against opponents ranked above him in the division bringing him closer towards a title shot at some point against current champion Sean O’Malley. Initially, Song was supposed to headline UFC fight night 233 in a bout against the division’s number 5 – Petr Yan. However, Yan pulled out of the fight due to injury and since Song was already prepared to headline the event, they found a replacement in 14th ranked Chris Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez possess an overall record of 19 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws.
He has decent striking ability and has won 9 fights through a knockout, however his takedown accuracy is not the best and he struggles to finish fights strongly as 8 of his fights have gone all the way to the judges decision. Although this headliner emerged through a last-minute change, it might turn out to be an interesting fight because Song would most likely attempt to finish the fight within the first few rounds which will hopefully make for an exciting viewing.
It will be interesting to see how Gutiérrez approaches this fight, will he prioritise defence and attempt to drag it out till the end of the five rounds or maybe he might attempt to counter punch and may even cause an upset. Either way it will be an interesting fight between two fighters who are full of confidence and are in great physical condition.
UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington – Christmas arrives early
Edwards and Covington have both lost a total of 3 times so far in their respective UFC careers. However, Leon Edwards has the upper hand when it comes to experience as he has competed in 21 bouts while Covington has competed in 17 till date. Edwards is also currently ranked 4th in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings which is an impressive feat as the three fighters above him are also champions in their respective weight divisions including Islam Makhachev, Jon Jones and Sean O’Malley. Not bad company to be amongst.
Leon Edwards won the Welterweight title last year in August when he KO’d former champion Kamaru Usman in the fifth round. Earlier this yea in March, Usman decided to use his rematch clause to try and obtain the title, however this time the fight went the distance and once again Edwards was able to retain the title via decision. This fight against Colby Covington will be his second Welterweight title defence. Colby Covington is currently ranked 3rd in the Welterweight division behind Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman.
Covington’s last fight resulted in a unanimous win against veteran Masvidal back in March 2022. Covington has an even 4 wins by knockout and 4 wins by submission which illustrates his versatility in striking and his ability to accurately takedown his opponents and wrestle them into submission. This fight should be a compelling encounter as Covington might prove to be a different type of threat Edwards is used to.
Nonetheless, Edwards still has the edge for me as he is known for his raw power, striking accuracy and impeccable defence against takedown attempts. Will this fight render us a new Welterweight champion or will it simply demonstrate why Edwards is at the top of the UFC game right now and further cement his legacy as champion? I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to find out!
UFC 296: Pantoja vs. Royval
Alexandre Pantoja, nicknamed ‘The Cannibal’ is the current champion of the UFC Flyweight division after defeating former champion Brandon Moreno in July 2023 via a split-decision. The Brazilian mixed martial artist has won 26 UFC fights and lost 5 so far in his career. This upcoming fight against Royval will be his first title defence. Pantoja is rightfully nicknamed ‘The Cannibal’ because he enjoys feasting on his opponents, he has finished 10 of his fights in the very first round and has 8 wins by knockout and 10 wins by submission.
This is what makes him a tricky opponent because you can not predict his next move, he might land a leg kick then precede to go for a takedown or continue the onslaught with his quick fire striking ability. His previous encounter with Royval was back in 2021 where he won by submission in the second round so all eyes are on Royval in this rematch to see if he can avenge that loss and become the new Flyweight champion.
Brandon Royval is currently ranked 4th in the Flyweight division and does not hold the best record I must say – 15 wins and 6 losses. Royval is a submission specialist having won 9 fights via submission and has a success rate of 100% for takedowns. His last win was against 6th ranked Matheus Nicolau which came in the first round via knockout, he also won his previous two bouts in 2022. Royval is on a hot streak at the moment and has the opportunity of a lifetime if he can use his confidence and momentum to overcome Pantoja to capture the Flyweight title.
He is definitely the underdog in the fight and if the fight goes to decision, most likely Pantoja will retain the title which means if Royval has any chance of walking away as the new champion he will need to be brave and go in for the kill early in the match. It will be an intriguing bout especially because Pantoja has already defeated Royval once before and seems to have the edge over him.
Both fighters are skilled in takedowns and submissions so I expect to see them spending majority of the match on the mat attempting to out-wrestle each other. Nonetheless, UFC 296 will be an exciting event with two title bouts taking place so get your popcorn ready because we have one last epic ride before the UFC closes shop for 2023.
