5 best performances from the stars of UFC 296
The UFC is set to produce its final pay-per-view of 2023 this weekend, and looks like it could be a good one.
UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington features some of the promotion’s best and most exciting fighters, stars who have produced the goods time after time.
What would count as the best performances put on by this weekend’s biggest stars? There have been so many that it’s hard to say, but some definitely stand out.
Here are the five best performances from the stars of UFC 296.
#5. Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis – UFC 299
Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is clearly on his last legs at this point, and his UFC career could be over with a bad loss to Paddy Pimblett this weekend.
However, ‘El Cucuy’ is a legend of the octagon who has produced countless amazing performance over the years, and it’s actually hard to pick his best one.
The one that truly stands out, though, is his victory over Anthony Pettis in October 2018. Somehow, Ferguson practically stole the show despite his bout with ‘Showtime’ coming before the famed battle between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
A true bloodbath, the fight saw Pettis struggle through the first round to deck Ferguson in the second. ‘El Cucuy’ looked on the verge of being out, his lengthy 10-fight win streak about to be snapped.
Somehow, though, he was able to roll through and recover, and then put a hellacious beating on ‘Showtime’, slicing him open and chasing him around the octagon with heavy strikes. It was as gutsy a performance as the fans had ever seen.
Sure, the fight ended anticlimactically when Pettis’ coach called it off before the third, but it was still a stone cold classic and showed Ferguson at his very best, all relentless pressure, unbelievable toughness and a rare blend of unorthodox skills, too.
#4. Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Carlston Harris – UFC Fight Night 200
Shavkat Rakhmonov is arguably the fastest-rising star set to be in action at UFC 296, and ‘Nomad’ will be hoping to pick up his biggest win to date over Stephen Thompson.
Rakhmonov has climbed into the top ten at welterweight thanks to big victories over Neil Magny and Geoff Neal, but his best win remains his highlight reel finish of Carlston Harris in early 2022.
At the time, both Rakhmonov and Harris were on winning runs in the octagon, with the fight being considered a close one to call.
When the action began, though, it was clear that the native of Kazakhstan was one step ahead of his foe, and it didn’t take long for him to cement his superiority.
‘The Nomad’ unleashed a wild spinning hook kick to the head on the four minute mark of the opening round, dropping Harris to the ground. From there, he quickly sealed the deal with a series of punches.
The win was a violent and shocking one for Rakhmonov, and it remains his signature finish. Harris, meanwhile, has won his two subsequent bouts, proving his own worth and making the Kazakh’s win more impressive in hindsight.
#3. Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Moreno – UFC 290
Reigning flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja has been involved in some thrilling bouts over the course of his UFC career, and he’s also delivered some highlight reel finishes, too.
However, his best moment was clearly his title victory over Brandon Moreno earlier this year, a fight that stands as arguably the best 125-pound title bout in octagon history.
‘The Cannibal’ scored a violent knockdown of Moreno in the opening round, and the fight basically didn’t slow down from there.
Both men exchanged some huge strikes throughout the five rounds, with both ending up busted open, and they also exchanged wildly on the ground too, with both taking dominant positions and points.
In the end, Pantoja was able to weather everything that ‘The Assassin Baby’ threw at him, and came back with just about enough offense of his own to edge a razor-close split decision.
Considering it was the Brazilian’s first five-rounder in the octagon, it was a truly remarkable showing.
#2. Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler – UFC on ESPN 5
Despite his position as one of the best welterweights in the UFC, Colby Covington doesn’t actually have too many impressive finishes to his name in the octagon.
However, he has dominated the majority of his foes, including a number of fan favourites and former titleholders.
While he used his stellar wrestling game to get past the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Jorge Masvidal, though, his best performance probably came in the summer of 2019 against Robbie Lawler.
In hindsight, Lawler was slightly past his best for the fight, but he was coming off an unfortunate loss to Ben Askren, and a number of fans felt that ‘Ruthless’ had what it took to take out Covington.
That wasn’t the case, though. Not only did ‘Chaos’ take Lawler down and consistently control him on the ground, he also completely outstruck him.
Showing no fear of Lawler’s renowned punching power, Covington walked him down throughout the five rounds and peppered him with combinations, never slowing down for a second.
It was a phenomenal showing for ‘Chaos’, who was elevated by the win towards genuine title contention.
#1. Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman – UFC 286
Every UFC fan will recall Leon Edwards’ welterweight title win over Kamaru Usman. Way behind on the scorecards, ‘Rocky’ somehow managed to land a picture-perfect head kick on the champion, knocking him senseless and stealing his crown in the process.
However, it’s probably fair to say that despite his win, the victory felt like somewhat of a fluke for the native of Birmingham, England.
The same could not be said when the two fighters rematched in London earlier this year, though. With ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ desperate to regain the gold, Edwards produced a career-best showing that cemented his slot as the world’s best 170lber.
This fight saw ‘Rocky’ completely dominate Usman on the feet with his striking game, with his body kicks in particular doing plenty of damage.
Where ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ landed plenty of strong strikes of his own in the first fight, in this bout he barely laid a glove on his foe, and was largely unable to take him down either.
In the end, while the fight went the distance, the only real success Usman had came in the third round, when a fence grab saw Edwards deducted a point.
Unsurprisingly, ‘Rocky’ was awarded a clear-cut unanimous decision, and won his trilogy with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ in the process.
Overall, this was clearly the best showing of Edwards’ UFC career, and he’ll be hoping to repeat the feat this weekend.