Who's fighting on the UFC card tonight, December 16, 2023? - Know your main and prelim card fighters, records, and highlights

The UFC is headed to the T-Mobile Arena for its next numbered event, UFC 296. Brace yourself for a night of epic battles as we look at the exciting fighters gracing the UFC card tonight.

The main event of UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington will feature a highly-anticipated welterweight title showdown between defending 170-pound champ Leon Edwards and two-time former title challenger Colby Covington.

Watch UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington fight preview below:

The co-headliner of UFC 296 will see flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja put his title on the line against former foe Brandon Royval.

Let's take a look at all the main and prelim fighters competing on the UFC card tonight.

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UFC card tonight: UFC 296 main card fighters

Here is a list of all the main card fights for this weekend's UFC event:

Leon Edwards (c) vs. Colby Covington (welterweight title)

Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs. Brandon Royval (flyweight title)

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson (welterweight)

Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett (lightweight)

Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell (featherweight)

Leon Edwards (21-3, 1 NC)

Leon Edwards will enter this bout hoping to make a second successful defense of his welterweight crown, having beaten former long-time 170-pound king Kamaru Usman in his last two outings. The Brit captured the title with a fifth-round knockout win over Usman in 2022 and followed that up with a majority decision victory in March.

Colby Covington (17-3)

Colby Covington was twice beaten by Kamaru Usman in his attempts to become the undisputed welterweight champion. The former interim titleholder will return to the octagon for the first time since beating Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision at UFC 272 in March of 2022.

Alexandre Pantoja (26-5)

Alexandre Pantoja captured the flyweight gold by edging out a split decision victory over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 back in July. The Brazilian is riding a four-fight win streak into this bout and looks to make his first title defense against an opponent he has already beaten via second-round submission in August 2021.

Brandon Royval (15-6)

Since his loss to Alexandre Pantoja, Brandon Royval strung together three consecutive wins, including back-to-back first-round finishes in his last two trips to the octagon. In his latest outing in April, the Colorado native knocked out Matheus Nicolau to earn his crack at the title.

Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0)

Shavkat Rakhmonov moved to 17-0 with a submission victory over a game Geoff Neal at UFC 285. The victory marked his fifth straight win under the promotional banner. The Kazakhstani now looks to extend his record to a perfect 18-0 and keep his 100% finish rate alive.

Stephen Thompson (17-6-1D)

After dropping back-to-back decisions in 2021, Stephen Thompson got back on track with a stunning TKO win over Kevin Holland last December. 'Wonderboy' is 3-4 in his last seven bouts and looks to put together a winning streak starting Saturday.

Tony Ferguson (25-9)

Tony Ferguson will look to end a six-fight skid when he faces Paddy Pimblett on the UFC card tonight. 'El Cucuy' was stopped in four of his last six losses with his latest defeat coming at the hands of Bobby Green via submission in July. Ferguson's last victory inside the octagon came over Donald Cerrone back in 2019.

Paddy Pimblett (20-3)

Paddy Pimblett picked up a controversial unanimous decision win over Jared Gordon last December, extending his perfect UFC record to 4-0. However, the Liverpudlian garnered a lot of hate from MMA fans after many believed that Gordon had done enough to secure the win.

'The Baddy' will now look to reshape the fan narrative surrounding him and burst into the 155-pound rankings with a statement performance.

Josh Emmett (18-4)

After compiling a five-fight win streak, Josh Emmett finds himself on a two-fight skid. The Californian was submitted by Yair Rodriguez earlier this year before getting outpointed by Ilia Topuria in June.

Bryce Mitchell (16-2)

Bryce Mitchell stepped in on short notice after Emmett's original opponent Giga Chikadze pulled out from the fight. 'Thug Nasty' saw his momentum come to a halt in a submission defeat to Ilia Topuria last December but rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige earlier this year.

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UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington - Preliminary card fighters

Here is a list of all the prelim card fights for this weekend's event:

Alonzo Menifield vs. Dustin Jacoby (light heavyweight)

Irene Aldana vs. Karol Rosa (women's bantamweight)

Cody Garbrandt vs. Brian Kelleher (bantamweight)

Casey O’Neill vs. Ariane Lipski (women's flyweight)

Alonzo Menifield (14-3-1D)

Alonzo Menifield is fresh off a submission win over Jimmy Crute at UFC 290 in July. The Texan is unbeaten in his last four fights (including one draw).

Dustin Jacoby (19-7-1D)

Dustin Jacoby snapped a two-fight losing skid with a stunning TKO win over Kennedy Nzechukwu in August. The Illinois native will hope to carry that momentum into his upcoming bout on the UFC card tonight.

Irene Aldana (14-7)

Irene Aldana looks to rebound from her unanimous decision loss to Amanda Nunes in their championship bout in June. The Mexican is currently 4-3 in her last seven trips to the octagon.

Karol Rosa (17-5)

Karol Rosa is coming off a split-decision win over Yana Santos in July. The Brazilian is 6-2 under the UFC banner with all of those wins coming via decision.

Cody Garbrandt (13-5)

Cody Garbrandt won the bantamweight gold with a memorable performance against Dominick Cruz in 2016. However, 'No Love' has gone 2-5 since dropping the title to T.J. Dillashaw the following year. In his latest outing in March, Garbrandt edged out Trevin Jones and will look to put together a winning streak for the first time in seven years.

Brian Kelleher (24-14)

Brian Kelleher has struggled for consistency in the UFC, going 7-7 under its banner. The New Yorker was submitted in his last two fights and is in dire need of a win this Saturday.

Casey O’Neill (9-1)

Casey O’Neill tasted her first career defeat in a unanimous decision loss to Jennifer Maia earlier this year. The Scottish fighter will be determined to fight her way back into the win column when she returns to the octagon on the UFC card tonight.

Ariane Lipski (16-8)

Ariane Lipski is on a two-fight win streak with her latest victory coming over Melissa Gatto via split decision. The Brazilian is 3-3 in her last six fights and is eyeing her third straight win at UFC 296 this weekend.