Leon Edwards, the reigning UFC welterweight champion, is set to make history as he defends his title against American fighter Colby Covington at the much-anticipated UFC 296.
Known by his fans as 'Rocky', Edwards aims to become the first British fighter in history to successfully defend his title twice. This high-stakes match will headline the final pay-per-view show of the year.
Edwards has been an unstoppable force in the Octagon since 2015 and this fight marks his return after successive victories over Kamaru Usman. On the other hand, Covington hasn't stepped into battle since defeating Jorge Masvidal over five rounds at UFC 272 in March 2022.
When does UFC 296 start?
UFC 296 is scheduled to take place on Saturday 16th December from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The action will kick off with the early prelims at about 3pm Pacific Time, 6pm Eastern Time and around 11pm UK time.
After that it's the preliminary card, getting going roughly 5pm PT, 8pm ET and 1am UK time.
Finally, things get really interesting when the main card gets started around 7pm PT, 10pm ET and 3am in the UK.
Edwards and Covington are expected to make their ring walks around 9pm Pacific, midnight Eastern and 5am in Britain.
How to watch UFC 296 in the UK
Fans in the UK can follow the preliminary and main cards on TNT Sports Box Office. These channels can be accessed via a Sky, Virgin or BT subscription.
Alternatively, Discovery+ is the live-streaming platform of TNT Sports. Fans can subscribe to Discovery+ to watch UFC on TNT Sports channels on the go using their favourite mobile devices. A Discovery+ Premier (inc. TNT Sports) subscription costs £29.99 a month.
How to watch UFC 296 in the US
MMA lovers stateside will need a subscription to live streaming platform ESPN+ in order to watch the main and prelim cards for UFC 296. ESPN+ has an exclusive deal with the UFC and PPVs are not shown on its traditional linear channels, only on ESPN+. The service costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
However, both UK and US viewers will need a subscription to UFC Fight Pass in order to watch the early prelims. A subscription costs £6.99 a month or £71.99 a year for UK-based fans or $9.99 a month/$95.99 a year in the US.
How to watch UFC 296 from around the world with a VPN
Perhaps you can't find a solution to watch this huge UFC event where you are. Maybe the match isn't being broadcast in your country, or the rights holders are far too expensive where you are.
Fear not. With Express VPN, you can find the best deal from around the world, connect to that location and watch their coverage.
To do so, simply:
GET EXPRESS VPN
- Login to the Express VPN app or extension,
- Select "UK", "US" or the territory of your choice,
- Navigate to the website of the broadcaster (Fite TV)
- Enjoy live streaming this huge event as you prefer
UFC 296 Fight Card (subject to change)
Main Card
*Available on ESPN+ or TNT Sports.
- Main Event: Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington (UFC Welterweight title)
- Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval (UFC Flyweight title)
- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson
- Paddy Pimblett vs Tony Ferguson
- Vicente Luque vs. Ian Machado Garry
Preliminary Card
*Available on ESPN+ or TNT Sports.
- Josh Emmett vs Giga Chikadze
- Alonzo Menifield vs Dustin Jacoby
- Martin Buday vs Shamil Gaziev
- Cody Garbrandt vs Brian Kelleher
Early Preliminary Card
*Available on UFC Fight Pass.
- Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa
- Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden
- Casey O'Neill vs Ariane Lipski
This huge event will close what has been a bumper year for the UFC in 2023. Two huge title fights and several noteworthy main card battles make this a must-watch PPV card for any MMA fan.
As the final event of the year, you can believe that the UFC will be keen to put on the best show possible for their fans around the world.
