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Check out the best photos from Josh Emmett’s first-round knockout win over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)
The best facts and figures about UFC 296, which features a loaded card of title fights, contender matchups and notable names with records.
The UFC goes out with a bang for its final event of 2023 on Saturday as a loaded UFC 296 is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the main card set to air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.
The 43rd and final card of the year features two championship fights at the top of the bill. In the main event, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) puts his welterweight title on the line against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), while in the co-headliner, [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) looks to defend flyweight gold for the first time in a rematch with [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
The rest of the card features a mix of contenders, familiar names and more with history inside the octagon. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 296.
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All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 4-10.
Enter Bryce Mitchell into the UFC 296 mix, replacing Giga Chikadze against Josh Emmett in an important featherweight bout.
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] is stepping in short notice.
With [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] out due to a groin injury, Mitchell (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) inserts into the lineup opposite [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in a featherweight contender prelim. The fight takes place as part of UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The promotion announced the change Wednesday.
Mitchell, 29, bounced back from a submission loss to Ilia Topuria when he defeated Dan Ige by unanimous decision in September.
Emmett, 38, looks to snap a two-fight losing skid. He most recently competed in June in a lopsided unanimous decision outing to Topuria. Prior to that, Emmett lost an interim title bout against Yair Rodriguez by submission.
With the change, the UFC 296 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
One of the top fights at UFC 296 is no longer happening now that Giga Chikadze won’t meet Josh Emmett.
One of the top fights at UFC 296 is no longer happening now that [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] won’t meet [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag].
Chikadze suffered an undisclosed injury and is out of the featherweight bout, a person with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie on Monday evening. It’s unclear if the UFC is searching for a replacement, but Emmett shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) asking, “Who’s ready Dec 16th?”
UFC 296 takes place Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Chikadze (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) vs. Emmett (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was locked in as the night’s featured prelim between the No. 6 and No. 8 featherweights in the official UFC rankings.
Giga’s Out ❌
–
Who’s ready Dec 16th? #UFC296— JOSH EMMETT (@JoshEmmettUFC) December 4, 2023
Chikadze, 35, won his most recent bout, a unanimous decision against Alex Caceres this past August at UFC Fight Night 225. Prior to that, he’d been out of action for 19 months coming out of a loss to Calvin Kattar. Chikadze was scheduled to fight Sodiq Yusuff in September 2022 but withdrew because of injury a week before that fight.
Emmett, 38, was looking to get back on track against Chikadze after losing both of his fights so far this year. He lost an interim title fight to Yair Rodriguez by submission at UFC 284 and followed that up with a unanimous decision loss to Ilia Topuria in the Fight of the Night at UFC on ABC 5.
Below is the UFC 296 lineup:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Giga Chikadze doesn’t look at Josh Emmett’s two-fight losing skid as a sign of being on the downturn in his career entering UFC 296.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] is not looking at [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] as being uniquely vulnerable ahead of their UFC 296 matchup next month.
Emmett (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) enters the featherweight fight with Chikadze (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), which takes place Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN2 prior to the pay-per-view main card and following early prelims on ESPN+, on the first two-fight losing skid of his more than 12-year career.
At 38, there are questions about whether Emmett is falling off, or he just ran into the absolute elite of the division in a unanimous decision defeat to Ilia Topuria at UFC on ABC 5 in June, as well as a second-round submission loss to Yair Rodriguez in an interim title bout at UFC 284 in February.
Chikadze tends to lead toward the latter, and that’s why he’s not underestimating Emmett whatsoever entering fight night.
“For me, I didn’t really pay attention where he’s coming from, because I know he’s a top 10 fighter,” Chikadze told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s a very high-level athlete and I know that I have to be ready for my opponent’s best version. So, I’m coming from the win, but all this doesn’t matter for me. It’s a really important fight on the table for me.”
Chikadze, No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, says No. 7-ranked Emmett would still be a valuable win for his career as he looks to build toward a title shot.
The Georgian fighter is determined to make another run to the belt, which he was well on his way to doing before his nine-fight winning streak was snapped by Calvin Kattar at UFC on ESPN 32 in January 2022. After 18 months off to recover from injuries, Chikadze returned in August to outwork Alex Caceres for a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 225.
A victory at UFC 296 would put him back on a streak, and Chikadze knows how significant that is.
“I’m not fighting only for the money here,” Chikadze said. “I’m fighting to reach my goal to become a champion from Georgia, to make my people proud, to make my community proud. It’s been a dream for all my life and that’s why I’m inside the UFC, in the best organization, to become the best fighter.”
Chikadze, 35, will be looking to put his decorated striking background to use when he enters the octagon with Emmett. Whether that will lead to a knockout remains to be seen, but with the stakes involved in this particular fight, he will be happy getting his hand raised in any fashion.
“I’m always looking for the knockout in the fights,” Chikadze said. “I enjoy making that happen, and also that’s what I’m known for. I’m a knockout artists, and every time I step into the octagon that’s what I’m trying to make it happen. But at the same time, the win is very important in this fight.
“He’s very experienced, he fought for a title – everyone who’s beat him has fought for a title, or is fighting for the title. I know this fight means a lot, so I’ve got to win. Any type of win, I’ll take it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 16-22.
A matchup of ranked featherweights, Giga Chikadze vs. Josh Emmett is the latest edition to UFC 296, the final pay-per-view of the year.
A matchup of ranked featherweights, [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] is the latest edition to UFC 296, the final pay-per-view of the year.
The UFC announced on Wednesday that Chikadze (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will take on Emmett (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in a 145-pound bout at the Dec. 16 event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Chikadze, 35, started his UFC career with seven straight wins, only to have his momentum derailed with a definitive loss to Calvin Kattar in January 2022. That defeat set up an 18-month layoff, which only ended in late August when Chikadze returned to defeat Alex Caceres by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 225.
Emmett, 38, will try to get the his results back on track and begin a late-career run after dropping consecutive fights. Up until February of this year, Emmett was riding a five-fight winning streak. That gave him a chance to face Yair Rodriguez for the interim title at UFC 284, but he suffered a second-round submission loss. He returned in June, only to drop a bloody and lopsided decision to Ilia Topuria.
Chikadze enters the matchup at No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, and he will try to move up as No. 7-ranked Emmett tries to defend his spot.
Below is the updated UFC 296 lineup:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Josh Emmett is relieved his corner kept faith in him during a one-sided loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC on ABC 5.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Josh Emmett [/autotag] is relieved his corner kept faith in him during a one-sided loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC on ABC 5.
After falling short of the interim featherweight title vs. Yair Rodriguez in February, Emmett (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) struggled in his bounce-back fight when he suffered a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on June 24 in Jacksonville, Fla.
With the fight seemingly decided by the midway point, some spectators called for Emmett’s corner at Team Alpha Male to throw in the towel and save him from further damage. It didn’t happen, and Emmett’s face was a reflection of 43 significant strikes landed to the head.
Not once did Emmett think about quitting though, he said. If his corner had intervened, he wouldn’t have taken it well.
[lawrence-related id=2655252,2655269,2652941]
“I would’ve been pissed,” Emmett said. “My coaches know me great. They know me so well. Especially Joey Rodriguez. Man, at no point – optically it looked worse. I wasn’t rocked by it. I wasn’t – even when he was on me it wasn’t like hard, hard shots. It just looked worse than it actually was. I would’ve been pissed. They know that.
“There’s no quit. I’ve been in fights that I’ve won where I’ve been concussed, I had a lot more damage and I won the fight. I’m completely fine. They know I can finish a fight at any moment (and I tried to do that), and it just didn’t work out.”
Emmett said he plans to take a little more time off in the aftermath of the fight before deciding his next move. He’s on the first two-fight losing skid of his nearly 12-year career, and at 38, his next trip to the octagon will be an important one.
He said he isn’t thinking about specific opponents just yet, but he will talk to his manager and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby before deciding what’s best.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.
Josh Emmett and Justin Tafa suffered graphic injuries at UFC on ABC 5 and are among those suspended indefinitely by the Florida commission.
UFC on ABC 5 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. and featured 13 fights.
There were back-and-forth battles, knockouts, an eye gouge, and a submission. Through these fights, the athletes involved sustained injuries that will put them on the shelf for some time, unless cleared by a doctor.
Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. The DBPR does not disclose injury specifics, but does show the durations of the suspension.
Atop the card, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] proved he’s a premiere contender when he dominated [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] en route to a unanimous decision, including a rare 10-7 scorecard. The two headliners were suspended indefinitely by DBPR afterward.
Seven fighters total were handed indefinite suspensions, while two were handed terms of specific durations and the rest of the card was cleared on fight night. Fighters are permitted to return prior to the end of their assigned durations if they are cleared by a doctor.
Scroll below to see the suspensions for the full UFC on ABC 5 card.
