Dana White Announces 3 Title Fights For UFC 295 & 296

UFC president Dana White has announced that a highly-anticipated light heavyweight title clash featuring former champions Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira will serve as the co-main event at UFC 295 on November 11. This event is already set to be headlined by the heavyweight title showdown between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Furthermore, UFC 296, scheduled for December 16, will feature a welterweight title bout between champion Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, as well as a flyweight title contest between champion Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval.

Jiří Procházka v Alex Pereira

Two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC are set to collide at Madison Square Garden. Former light heavyweight champion Jirí Procházka and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira will square off for the vacant light heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC 295 on November 11 in New York, as confirmed by UFC president Dana White via social media.

The light heavyweight belt became vacant in July after Jamahal Hill suffered an Achilles injury.

Jirí Procházka, with a record of 29-3-1, has been out of action since his victory over Glover Teixeira, which earned him the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 275 in June 2022. Unfortunately, the Czech Republic native had to vacate the title in November of the same year due to a shoulder injury. Procházka, who is currently 30 years old, boasts an impressive 3-0 record in the UFC, with all three wins coming by way of finishes. Notably, he has accumulated 13 consecutive victories overall, with just one of those wins going the distance during that remarkable streak.

Alex Pereira, with a record of 8-2, made the move up to the light heavyweight division and secured a split-decision victory over former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in July. The Brazilian fighter, who resides and trains in Connecticut, notably knocked out Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 in November of the previous year at Madison Square Garden, capturing the middleweight title. However, Adesanya later avenged the loss and regained the belt with a knockout victory at UFC 287 in April. Pereira, currently 35 years old, has an impressive UFC record, winning five of his six fights in the organization.

Leon Edwards v Colby Covington

Leon Edwards, who has not experienced a loss since 2015, achieved a significant victory over long-reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman last year and successfully defended his title against the former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in March. His next challenger will be Colby Covington, who was defeated twice by Usman, once by TKO and once by unanimous decision.

Covington has had just one fight since his second loss to Usman, delivering a dominant performance against an ageing Jorge Masvidal on March 5, 2022. His limited activity may have been influenced by injuries resulting from Masvidal’s attack on Covington in Miami later that month. Nevertheless, Covington has maintained his status as the top contender for over a year without competing and will now have the opportunity to face Edwards for the title.

Alexandre Pantoja v Brandon Royval 2

Alexandre Pantoja secured the UFC flyweight championship with a split-decision victory over Brandon Moreno. Instead of arranging yet another title rematch involving Moreno, who had already faced Deiveson Figueiredo four times for the belt, the UFC opted for a rematch between Moreno and Brandon Royval.

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