Hollywood, CA - July 12: UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards arrives on the red carpet at the 2023 ESPY Awards in Dolby Theatre in Hollywood Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The 2023 ESPY Awards will be held, celebrating the biggest moments in sports and athletics over the past year. Lil Wayne and H.E.R. are among those scheduled to perform. The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; White Sox pitcher/cancer survivor Liam Hendriks will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance; and the Buffalo Bills training staff credited with saving the life of Damar Hamlin after he suffered an on-field cardiac arrest will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The list of presenters includes Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Mike Tyson, Peyton and Eli Manning, Travis Kelce, Quavo, Lil Rel Howery and Chris Berman. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington at UFC 296 Among 3 Fights Announced by Dana White

Paul KasabianSep 21, 2023

Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight title against Colby Covington in the UFC 296 main event on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.

UFC president Dana White relayed the news Wednesday alongside two other big match announcements.

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White also announced that Alex Pereira will fight Jiří Procházka for the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 295 co-main event on Nov. 11 in New York.

In addition, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his belt against Brandon Royval in the UFC 296 co-main event.

The 32-year-old Edwards has not lost in his last 12 fights, and he is 21-3 with one no-contest lifetime. He most recently defeated ex-champ Kamaru Usman by majority decision in March to defend his belt.

The 35-year-old Covington is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March. Covington, who is 17-3 lifetime, has previously fought for the UFC welterweight belt twice, losing to Usman on both occasions.

The 36-year-old Pereira (8-2) has made the move up from the middleweight division (where he was the former champion) to fight Procházka, who previously beat Glover Teixeira for the light heavyweight belt in June 2022 but forfeited the title due to a shoulder injury. The 30-year-old Procházka is 29-3-1 with 25 knockouts, and this will be his first match since the Teixeira fight.

The 33-year-old Pantoja (26-5) will be making his first title defense after taking down champion Brandon Moreno in July by split decision. The 31-year-old Royval (15-6) is on a three-match winning streak capped by a pair of first-round finishes against Matt Schnell and Matheus Nicolau.