UFC 296 Prediction: Edwards vs Covington UFC 296 Picks for 12/17
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UFC 296 Predictions & Edwards vs Covington Prediction & UFC Odds
- ⭐ Leon Edwards to beat Colby Covington KO/TKO (+390) at BetMGM
- ⭐ Paddy Pimblett on points against Tony Ferguson (+190) at FanDuel
- ⭐ Alexandre Pantoja to beat Brandon Royval by submission (+145) at DraftKings
The final UFC card of the year is upon us, and we close out 2023 with a mouthwatering fight card over in Las Vegas this weekend.
For one final time this year, we’ve put together our UFC predictions and UFC 296 Picks for Saturday night.
The main card will be headlined with the welterweight title on the line, where Leon Edwards will look to defend his title for the second time with Colby Covington looking to win the belt in what is his third title matchup - our UFC picks has singled out a KO/TKO win for the champion at +390 with FanDuel.
The legendary Tony Ferguson is also back in action and looking to end a six-fight losing streak, but against the rising star of Paddy Pimblett, we’ve gone for a win for the Brit in our UFC 296 predictions at +190 on points with FanDuel.
We also have another title fight to look forward to, and we have backed Alexandre Pantoja to keep his belt against Brandon Royval via submission at +145 with DraftKings.
Let’s take a deeper look at our UFC 296 predictions and our UFC 296 picks for this weekend using the best online betting sites.
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Edwards vs Covington UFC Odds, Details & Form
The UFC will close out 2023 in Las Vegas at the usual time of 10pm ET for the main card.
- 🏟 Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas United States
- 📅 Date: Saturday, December 16th, 2023
- 🕙 Time: 10pm ET
- 🥊 Main Event: Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington
- 🔥 Top Favorite: Edwards to win by KO/TKO (+390) at BetMGM
- 📊 Fighter Stats: Leon Edwards 21-3 | Colby Covington 17-3
- 📺 TV Channel: ESPN + PPV
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Leon Edwards Form Prior to UFC 296
One of MMA’s greatest-ever stories is told by the man with the welterweight crown, Leon Edwards.
From the slums of Kingston, Jamaica, to further struggles in Birmingham, England - Edwards has lived the true Hollywood movie by getting to the top of the welterweight division.
This has also seen the Brit amass a 21-3 record and put together a 11-fight winning run, beating legends like Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Caerrone, Nate Diaz and Vicente Luque ever since a loss in 2015 to Kamaru Usman.
Edwards would avenge that loss to arguably the greatest welterweight of all time, Usman, with probably the most famous moment in the division’s history.
After losing practically the entire fight and with one minute left to go, Edwards smashed a left head kick onto Usman’s chin, knocking the then-champion out cold in true Rocky-like fashion.
The two fought for the third time soon after with Edwards’ holding the welterweight belt, and the 32-year-old edged out a close fight with a decision win in London.
The reigning champion at 170 lbs is arguably the most in-form fighter in the UFC, besides the pound for pound #1, Islam Makhachev. Also, nobody has produced a story quite like he has across all combat sports.
Colby Covington Form Prior to UFC 296
The fact Covington has managed to get himself a title shot is in itself quite incredible. The American is one of the least active fighters in the welterweight division, fighting only three times in the past three years.
What’s more, Covington has also managed to lose in two title fights already in his career, as Usman defeated him in 2019 and again in 2021.
This does now mean the only wins in the past few years for “Chaos” have been against Tyron Woodley, where Colby only won because of a rib injury to Woodley. Covington’s second victory in this period was with a wrestling masterclass against Jorge Masvidal.
Ultimately, the only fighters Covington has defeated since 2017 have been aging fighters who are on their way out, such as Demian Maia, dos Anjos, Woodley and Masvidal. Although this does leave him with an impressive 17-3 record, it’s hard to call his CV anything other than decent.
Edwards vs Covington UFC Best Bets
We’ve put together the UFC 296 predictions and our UFC picks for this weekend from the best online betting sites for UFC odds.
UFC Best Bet #1: Leon Edwards to beat Colby Covington KO/TKO (+390) at BetMGM
Although Covington certainly has a chance to win on Saturday night, we can’t look past how it seems as if everything favors the champion.
Edwards has been significantly more active than Covington, which in a monumental title fight, means a lot.
The Brit is also three inches taller, a significantly better striker, and will be able to keep the distance from the wrestling-focused American very well, given how he has a two-inch reach advantage too.
For Covington to win this fight, he’s likely going to need to win round after round. For Edwards to claim his 22nd victory in professional MMA, it may just be a case of setting up another barrage of shots that his opponent cannot deal with.
Ultimately, we see the younger, more active and more well-rounded fighter in Edwards getting another KO/TKO win.
⭐ UFC 296 Picks: Leon Edwards to beat Colby Covington KO/TKO (+390) at BetMGM
UFC Best Bet #2: Paddy Pimblett on Points vs. Tony Ferguson (+190) at FanDuel
Let’s move a bit further down the card to look at the UFC odds for Tony Ferguson vs Paddy Pimblett.
With odds of -310 on the moneyline for Pimblett, it’s clear to see where this fight is heading. He will also be the favorite for the fifth time in what is his fifth fight in the UFC, and against a man with a current six-fight losing skid, we see nothing but a seventh win in a row for Pimblett.
The Brit is 11 years younger than Ferguson and by simply looking at the way the latter has lost in his current losing run, it’s this age difference that likely plays the biggest factor.
Simply put, at the end of the day, every fighters’ time comes, and in truth, Ferguson’s came about three years ago but has continued to fight and therefore continued to lose.
Pimblett is likely going to need to match Ferguson’s volume in this one and make sure he uses his superior speed to keep winning the rounds.
⭐ UFC 296 Picks: Paddy Pimblett on Points vs. Tony Ferguson (+190) at FanDuel
UFC Best Bet #3: Alexandre Pantoja to Beat Brandon Royval by Submission (+145) at DraftKings
Our final selection from our UFC predictions looks at the co-main event where the flyweight title is on the line in what will be Alexandre Pantoja’s first defense of the belt.
Pantoja beat Brandon Moreno for the second time back in July to win the title in what was a very close and interesting battle. Ultimately, Pantoja claimed the win by narrowly out-striking the Mexican, while his efforts to mix in takedowns no doubt helped too and showed why he is a worthy champion.
In our opinion, this is quite an easy fight to call. Although Royval is up there with some of the best flyweights in the UFC, he is far from the best. In fact, the American has already lost to Pantoja from a rear-naked choke and also suffered a loss to Moreno just a few months before that.
Royval is now with a record of 15-6, which is far from an impressive read. What’s more, given how Pantoja has already defeated him via submission in his career, our UFC picks heads for the same outcome at UFC 296.
⭐ UFC 296 Picks: Alexandre Pantoja to Beat Brandon Royval by Submission (+145) at DraftKings
Edwards vs Covington Prediction & Final Thoughts
What a night it is going to be in Las Vegas on Saturday, and although it’s sad to see the UFC take a month off after the conclusion of a thrilling main card, the world-leading MMA organization is closing out 2023 in some style.
From the early prelims all the way to the main card, each fight is worth getting your teeth into. We have, however, singled out these three UFC best bets this weekend, and at odds of +390 to get another famous KO/TKO, Edwards is the narrow favorite to defeat Covington.
Pantoja should also be favored to keep his flyweight title, and by getting a submission at odds of +145 at DraftKings, it will be his 19th finish and 11th submission too.
We will also be quite stunned if Ferguson can turn around his losing run and beat Pimblett, and at odds of +190 to win on points yet again, we’re backing the Brit to jump further up the lightweight rankings.
UFC Best Bet: ⭐ Leon Edwards via KO/TKO (+390) at BetMGM
As we look forward to another UFC 296, there's another exciting development for sports betting enthusiasts. Back in September, Kentucky launched online sports betting, paving the way for the emergence of new sports betting apps in Kentucky. This opens up a new realm of opportunities for fans and bettors alike. Stay tuned for more updates on this front.
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