15 UFC fights you just can’t miss in December

UFC fights in December. Photo via Instagram (colbycovmma)

UFC holds three exciting events in December, with the stacked UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena to close up the year.

Besides the welterweight and flyweight title bouts at UFC 296, we will also see a bunch of other interesting matchups, including a bunch of former champions and title contenders.

Take a closer look at some of the absolute best UFC fights coming up in December!

Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Dec. 2

Beneil Dariush. Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Lightweight top dogs Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan will headline the UFC Fight Night on December 2.

No. 4 ranked Dariush intends to get back in the win column after a tough TKO loss to Charles Oliveira that snapped his impressive winning streak.

No. 8 ranked Tsarukyan comes from back-to-back wins against Damir Ismagulov and Joaquim Silva and will put himself in a good position for a title shot if he defeats Dariush.

Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green, Dec. 2

Photo via Instagram: @thetarantulamma)

Lightweights Jalin Turner and Bobby Green will clash in the co-main event at the UFC Fight Night on December 2.

No. 12 ranked Turner took the fight on short notice as Dan Hooker was forced to pull out. The tall lightweight comes from two tough split decision losses against Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot while Green has back-to-back wins against Tony Ferguson and Grant Dawson.

Rob Font vs. Deiveson Figueiredo, Dec 2

Deiveson Figueiredo. Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sports

Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will move up a weight class to take on the dangerous Rob Font in a main card bantamweight bout on December 2.

Figueiredo has not fought since his trilogy against Brandon Moreno and will step into the cage for the first time in almost 11 months.

Font has three losses in his four last fights and is in big need of a win against the Brazilian former flyweight.

Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum, Dec 2

Kelvin Gastelum. Foto: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Top 10 ranked Sean Brady will welcome Kelvin Gastelum back down to the welterweight division in a highly interesting bout on the main card at the Moody Center in Austin.

Brady took his career first loss against Belal Muhammad in October 2022 and will return to action to get back in the win column.

Former interim middleweight contender Gastelum will be back in welterweight for the first time in eight years and looks to get a place in the rankings with a win against Brady.

Miesha Tate vs. Julia Avila, Dec 2

Miesha Tate. Photo via Instagram (@mieshatate)

Former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate returns to action to take on Julia ”Raging Panda” Avila.

Tate is 1-2 since her comeback in 2021 and has a lot to prove if she’s ever going to become a champion again. She has back-to-back losses against Ketlen Vieira and Lauren Murphy.

Avila has been out of competition since June 2021, when she submitted Julija Stoliarenko, and is 3-1 in the UFC.

Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree Jr, Dec. 9

Khalil Rountree Jr. Photo via Instagram: (@khalilrountree)

Former light heavyweight title contender Anthony Smith will tanke on Khalil Rountree Jr in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 233 on December 9.

No. 8 ranked Smith comes from a win against Ryan Spann and steps in on two weeks notice to face No. 11 ranked Rountree Jr who has four straight wins, three by stoppage.

Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutiérrez, Dec. 9

Song Yadong. Photo USA Today Sports

UFC Fight Night 233 is headlined by an interesting bantamweight contest between No. 7 ranked Song Yadong and No. 14 ranked Chris Gutierrez.

China’s Yadong is 4-1 in his past five outings and comes from a fifth-round TKO against Ricky Simón in April.

Gutierrez comes from a decision win against Alateng Heili and makes a quick turnaround with the intention to climb the rankings.

Irene Aldana vs. Karol Rosa, Dec. 16

Irene Aldana. Photo via YouTube (UFC)

Former women’s bantamweight title contender Irene Aldana returns to action to face Karol Rosa in the prelims of the insanely stacked UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

No 5. ranked Aldana last fought for the title as she challenged Amanda Nunes back in June. She eventually lost the uneven fight with 50–44, 50–44 and 50–43 on the scorecards.

Rosa is currently ranked at No. 9 and comes from a split decision win against Yana Santos in July.

Josh Emmett vs. Giga Chikadze, Dec. 16

Giga Chikadze. Photo: Jasen Vinlove – USA TODAY Sports

UFC 296 is so stacked that top ranked featherweights Josh Emmett and Giga Chikadze will clash in the prelims.

After pulling together an impressive five-fight winning streak, Emmet lost two straight fights against top dogs Ilia Topuria and Yair Rodríguez, the latter in an interim title fight in February.

No. 8 ranked Chikadze is back in the win column after defeating Alex Caceres in August. A win against Emmet would be a good step on his way to a title shot.

Cody Garbrandt vs. Brian Kelleher, Dec. 16

Cody Garbrandt. Photo: Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports

Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt will return to take on Brian Kelleher in the prelims of UFC 296.

With just two victories since laying his hands on the bantamweight strap in 2016, Garbrandt is in big need of putting together a solid winning streak.

Kelleher comes from two straight submission losses and is also in big need of a win.

Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs. Brandon Royval, Dec. 16

UFC fights in December. Photo via Twitter

The flyweight title fight between champion Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval marks the first title defense for the Brazilian.

Pantoja won the belt in June as he defeated Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision but is still somewhat of an unknown name to the mainstream UFC audience.

No. 4 ranked Royval rides a three-fight winning streak that dates back to his submission loss to Pantoja back in August 2021.

Can Royval avenge his loss and claim the title at UFC 296?

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson, Dec. 16

Shavkat Rakhmonov defeated Geoff Neal. Photo via Instagram (@shavkatrakhmonov94)

What a fight!

Undefeated welterweight fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov has a record flawless record of 17-0 with every win coming via stoppage. The No. 5 ranked contender is possibly just one win away from a title shot – if any champion dares to face him.

Striking veteran Stephen ”Wonderboy” Thompson never backs down from a fight and is ready to take on the undefeated Rakhmonov. ”Wonderboy” comes from an impressive win against Kevin Holland in December last year.

Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett, Dec. 16

Tony ”El Cucuy” Ferguson. Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The lightweight bout between former top dog and interim champion Tony Ferguson and UFC star Paddy Pimblett has been labeled as both controversial and unnecessary, but nevertheless it’s an interesting matchup.

Ferguson has been one of the absolute most interesting lightweights to ever grace the octagon, but has lately fallen from grace with six (!) straight losses. A loss against the rising star will most likely be the veteran’s last fight in the UFC.

His British opponent has quickly become one of the promotion’s biggest names, but has yet to prove himself against tougher opponents.

Vicente Luque vs. Ian Machado Garry, Dec. 16

Ian Garry UFC 292 press conference

The UFC 296 main card matchup between welterweight veteran Vicente Luque and rising star Ian Machado Garry is a great fight on paper.

No. 8 ranked Luque comes from a win against Rafael dos Anjos and fought nothing but top opponents over the past couple of years.

The rising star Machado Garry is undefeated with a 13-0 record and has six straight wins in the UFC. In his last two fights he stepped up in competition as he took on Daniel Rodriguez and Neil Magny. The heavy-hitting Brazilian veteran will arguably be his toughest test to date.

Leon Edwards (c) vs. Colby Covington, Dec. 16

Leon Edwards. Photo via Twitter (UFC)

The last fight of the year is also one of the absolute most interesting!

Reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards will take on former interim champ Colby Covington in a highly interesting five-round main event.

Edwards won and defended his title against Kamaru Usman and hasn’t lost a fight since 2015.

Covington has two title fight losses against Usman, and the fight against Edwards will probably be his last chance to ever win the title.

Read more: The 15 greatest fighters who never won a UFC title

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