5 undercard fighters to keep a close eye on at UFC 296
This weekend sees UFC 296 go down in Las Vegas, and the event undoubtedly looks like one of the best of 2023.
UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington features a loaded card, and even ignoring the two title bouts, there’s plenty to look forward to.
So, with a stacked prelim show as well as a strong main card, there are plenty of high-level contenders to watch out for this weekend.
Here are five undercard fighters to keep a close eye on at UFC 296.
#5. Cody Garbrandt – former UFC bantamweight champion
It’s probably fair to say that over the last few years, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has fallen on hard times.
After losing his title to TJ Dillashaw back in 2017, ‘No Love’ had won just one fight before the start of this year, losing badly to the likes of Pedro Munhoz and Kai Kara-France.
However, Garbrandt is still only 32 years old, and in his comeback fight at 135lbs in March, he showed flashes of the skills that took him to his famous 2016 title win over Dominick Cruz.
This weekend, the former champion is set to face veteran Brian Kelleher in what should be an interesting test for him. ‘Boom’ is on a two-bout slide, but he can also crack, and despite his recent win, Garbrandt’s chin is definitely questionable.
If ‘No Love’ can pull out a win here, then there’s definitely a case to suggest that he might be getting back to his best form. Can he become a title contender again? Stranger things have happened, and that possibility makes him a fighter to keep an eye on this weekend.
#4. Casey O’Neill – UFC flyweight contender
One hot prospect who is well worth watching this weekend is flyweight contender Casey O’Neill. The Scottish-born, Australian-based fighter hasn’t had the best year overall, and her fight with Ariane Lipski should be a chance for her to rebound.
Back in 2022, most fans figured that ‘King’ would fight her way into title contention this year. However, after suffering a severe knee injury midway through last year, she returned in March only to fall to Jennifer Maia.
Realistically, the Brazilian veteran was always a tough test for a young fighter coming back from a serious injury, and the fact that O’Neill took her the distance was encouraging in its own way.
Lipski is a far rawer fighter than Maia, though, and so O’Neill will be hopeful of pulling off a win, especially as she should be fully recovered from her injury now.
If ‘King’ can win, then she may well find herself climbing into the top ten at 125lbs, which would be a great end to her 2023. With dangerous skills in all areas, she could still become a genuine contender in 2024, and this weekend could be the start of that run.
#3. Bryce Mitchell – UFC featherweight contender
With the planned bout between Ian Garry and Vicente Luque now scrapped, it seems likely that a preliminary fight will be elevated to tomorrow night’s main card.
In terms of which fight will be elevated, the best bet would probably be the featherweight clash between Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell.
Of those two fighters, it’s definitely arguable that Mitchell is the one to really watch. Emmett has been in contention for a long time now and has even fought for the interim title, losing to Yair Rodriguez earlier this year.
However, the veteran is coming into this one off the back of a second loss, this time to Ilia Topuria, and at the age of 38, his stay at the top might be about to end.
Mitchell, on the other hand, may have taken this fight on late notice to replace Giga Chikadze, but his future is clearly brighter.
‘Thug Nasty’ has won seven of his eight fights in the UFC and is coming off an impressive win over Dan Ige. With his only loss coming to Topuria, a win over Emmett here would definitely propel him into title contention in his own right.
More to the point, if he is to win this one, Mitchell will likely need to show serious improvements in his game, as takedowns on Emmett aren’t going to be easy to come by.
If ‘Thug Nasty’ can pull this off, it’ll be huge for his career. Therefore, he’s definitely a man to watch this weekend.
#2. Paddy Pimblett – UFC lightweight contender
It’s arguable that outside of the fighters involved in the two title bouts this weekend, the man with the most to lose at UFC 296 is lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett.
Long seen as a potential “cash cow”, in his own words, for the promotion, ‘The Baddy’ has now not fought in a year.
The last time he was in action, he received a controversial decision win over Jared Gordon in a fight that made a number of fans believe he’s nothing but hype.
However, prior to that, he’d dispatched three foes in impressive fashion. Whether the Liverpool native is for real, therefore, remains somewhat of a question mark.
Rather than match him with an opponent on his level, though, the UFC has instead put him up against Tony Ferguson this weekend. Once recognized as one of the best lightweights on the planet, ‘El Cucuy’ is now on a six-fight slide and hasn’t won since 2019.
A win over Ferguson would be big for Pimblett from a star power perspective, but there’s also a lot of pressure on him. If ‘The Baddy’ were to lose, then all of his hype would probably evaporate instantly.
With that considered, it should be fascinating to see what the Liverpudlian has in store for ‘El Cucuy’ come fight time – making him a must-see attraction this weekend.
#1. Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC welterweight contender
While UFC 296 is an event filled with star power, it’s clear that outside of the two headline bouts, the fighter to watch is welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
‘The Nomad’ is not only faced with the biggest test of his career in the form of Stephen Thompson, but it also feels like he’s on the cusp of real stardom. If he can take out ‘Wonderboy’ this weekend, then he could well find himself fighting for the welterweight title next.
Rakhmonov is already battle-tested, having dispatched ranked opponents in Neil Magny and Geoff Neal in his last two fights. Overall, the native of Kazakhstan is 17-0 in MMA and has never come close to losing.
However, he also hasn’t fought anyone quite like ‘Wonderboy’ before. Not only is Thompson far more experienced than Rakhmonov in the octagon, but he’s also proven essentially impossible to outstrike.
That’s never been a problem for ‘The Nomad’ before, so it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches this clash with the two-time title challenger.
Essentially, if Rakhmonov can find a way past ‘Wonderboy’, and if he can finish him in particular, then a title shot should be his. That makes him the fighter to watch this weekend.