UFC 296 Best Bets: Stars Contend For Titles To Round Out 2023

UFC 296 marks the final pay-per-view (PPV) event of the year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

As the fight calendar rounds out back at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, fans are in for a show with a pair of championship fights on the main card.

Colby Covington earns his third career welterweight title shot, this time against undisputed champion Leon Edwards, who beat Kamaru Usman to gain the belt.

In the flyweight division, champion Alexandre Pantoja puts his belt on the line against No. 2 contender Brandon Royval.

With so much to watch (and wager) on Saturday night, here are three of the best bets for UFC 296:

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1. Colby Covington by points (+280)
Covington has been on the rise over the last several years. He just hasn’t been able to get over the hump to a belt with two title losses to Usman. In fact, those are Covington’s only two losses since 2016.

With Usman out of the way, this opportunity could be Covington’s best chance to win an undisputed UFC championship.

The former interim champion and current No. 3 contender relies on ridiculous stamina and often wins in decision victories. As a result, Covington’s most likely path to victory is having his hand raised after 25 hard minutes.

2. Alexandre Pantoja by submission (+145)
The odds agree that the chance of this fight going the distance is pretty slim (-600 not to go the distance). Both Pantoja and Royval have earned two finishes in each of their last three victories, creating quite the collision course to this title fight.

When these two fought on a “Fight Night” card in 2021, Pantoja finished Royval with a rear-naked choke. Another submission could be in line again on Saturday night.

3. Paddy Pimblett by submission (+250)
Pimblett is an exciting fighter and a true fan favorite, so he’ll probably attract plenty of wagers on his own. Additionally, he has won all four fights in his UFC career.

He meets a legend of the lightweight division Tony Ferguson. Unfortunately for the veteran, age has caught up with him as the 39-year-old has lost six straight fights dating back to 2019.

Pimblett has two submission wins in four fights. Ferguson has been submitted in his last two fights. Follow the trend.

All odds courtesy of FanDuel SportsBook.