UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington: Rocky set to defend title in Las Vegas – start time, stream, TV channel
LEON EDWARDS and Colby Covington are all set to battle it out at UFC 296 tonight in what could be a fiery encounter.
The controversial American made shocking comments about Edwards' father, who was brutally murdered when the Brit was aged just 13.
In a bid to get under the skin of the Brit, Covington said: "I'm bringing you to the seventh layer of hell.
"We'll say 'What's up?' to your dad there."
Edwards reacted by launching a water bottle at his rival, who was dressed as a founding father and wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat.
Security quickly intervened to stop the conflict from escalating further, but Rocky was clearly angered by the shocking comment.
Rocky cemented his name in MMA history last August when he dethroned Kamaru Usman to win the 170lbs belt.
And Edwards' first defence on home soil was a success as the Brit secured a majority-decision-victory in the rematch with Usman in March.
However, it's no secret that Chaos will be a huge threat after witnessing what he did to Jorge Masvidal last year.
Dana White highlighted Covington's strengths by describing him as "a relentless pressure fighter with unstoppable cardio."
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But Edwards hasn't lost a fight in EIGHT years so this has all the makings of a blockbuster scrap.
When is Edwards vs Covington?
- Leon Edwards' welterweight title defence against Colby Covington will take place on Sunday December 16.
- The preliminary card is scheduled to get underway at approximately 11:30pm GMT / 6:30pm ET before the main card at around 2am GMT / 9pm ET.
- UFC fans can then catch the MAIN event at approximately 5am GMT / midnight ET.
- T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is the designated venue for this thrilling event and it can host 20,000 roaring spectators.
How can I watch Edwards vs Covington?
- Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington will be broadcast LIVE on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
- Fans in the US can watch the action unfold on ESPN+ and ESPN 2.
- The preliminary fights are available to watch exclusively on the UFC Fight Pass.
- Alternatively, follow SunSport's live blog for round-by-round coverage of the entire event.
What is the FULL UFC 296 fight card?
Everyone will be looking forward to seeing Leon Edwards put his UFC welterweight title on the line against Colby Covington at the top of the bill.
But Paddy Pimblett's clash with Tony Ferguson is also one to feast your eyes on.
Main card
- MAIN EVENT: Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington - for UFC welterweight title
- Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval - for UFC flyweight title
- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson
- Paddy Pimblett vs Tony Ferguson
- Vicente Luque vs Ian Machado Garry
Preliminary card
- Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell
- Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa
- Cody Garbrandt vs Brian Kelleher
- Casey O'Neill vs Ariane Lipski
Early preliminary card
- Alonzo Menifield vs Dustin Jacoby
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden
- Andre Fili vs Lucas Almeida
- Martin Buday vs Shamil Gaziev
- Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov
What has been said?
Before the water bottle incident, Edwards had said: “I don't know how Colby makes sense.
“He hasn't fought for more than a year and half.
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"There are other active guys in the division.
"I'm the king now, I've earned my way and should decide who is next.”