UFC 296 Rewards, MMA News Reaction and Merry Christmas to All FitnessFighters Fans!

UFC 296 was the final pay-per-view of the year 2023. Aside from the technical main and co-main event of the evening, there were flashy knockouts, great submissions, and amazing toe-to-toe wars. The belts didn’t change their owners – Leon Edwards defended the title against Colby Covington after five rounds, while Alexandre Pantoja was better than 125-pound belt challenger Brandon Royval. Right now we will focus on the best moments of the previous numbered event.

UFC 296 Rewards

There were three Performance of the Night awards. The best knockout of the event happened in the fight between Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell, where Emmett destroyed his opponent via a massive right hand. Doctors needed time to recover Mitchell after a powerful punch that sent him to sleep.

JOSH EMMETT PUTS BRYCE MITCHELL TO SLEEP 😱😱😱 #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/bqdkSZSzw7

— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023

Ariane Lipski shocked the world with a tremendous performance against Casey O’Neill. “The Queen of Violence” finished Casey with a surprising second-round submission.

THE QUEEN OF VIOLENCE DOES IT AGAIN @Ariane_lipski gets the tap and her third win in a row at #UFC296! pic.twitter.com/KPhgUXHBPb

— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023

The final 50k Performance of the Night bonus was given to Shamil Gaziev, who bulldozed dangerous Slovakian striker Martin Buday in his UFC debut. The first-ever UFC fighter from Bahrain dominated and scored a vicious TKO win on the feet in the second round.

Two rounds is all it took!

Shamil Gaziev gets the stoppage in our first fight of the night at #UFC296! pic.twitter.com/FC34vfvta0

— UFC (@ufc) December 16, 2023

The Fight of the Night bonus was given to Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa, who took part in the best female fight of 2023. The two traded big bombs for three rounds. The bloodbath ended with a decision win for the Mexican fighter. Dana White was pleased with their performance, and both Octagon warriors were awarded with extra 50k.

Sean Strickland Is In The Public Eye Again

Sean Strickland is definitively the most controversial champ the world has ever seen. He is pretty vocal on social media, and he trolls both his opponents and other UFC fighters.

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His beef with Ian Garry got heated after Sean Strickland released a song where he criticized Ian Garry for marrying a 40-year-old cougar. Tyler Cassidy was singing the funny and provocative rap song.

The controversial rhymes irritated the undefeated Irish prospect, who threatened to sue the reigning defending 185-pound champion for his actions. Sean Strickland responded on his Twitter, where he posted message screenshots and advised Ian to “learn how to be a man”.

You know I never talk about a fighters girls but fuck……. I almost feel bad for Ian Garry at this point….. bro your girl is a succubus…. :/ sorry bro it happens to us all once..

You got played…… #wag hope you have a good prenup….

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) November 24, 2023

You put a man's mug shot on a shirt to shame him and then you say you're going to sue me?!?! Learn how to be a fucking man.. Were you born without a ball sack or did your wife remove them.. coward.. utter fucking coward pic.twitter.com/Ws46UJGzgT

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) November 25, 2023

But, of course, Sean Strickland can’t live without incidents. UFC 296 took part last weekend, but two title fights were not the most interesting part of the event. Strickland took part in a fight with title contender Dricus Du Plessis.

Out of nowhere, Sean leaped over the seats and threw a punch at the South African, and Dricus fired back at him. Luckily, some UFC fighters were close, and the greater incident was stopped. Police also intervened. The former KSW champion later called Strickland “mentally weak”. The two might take part in a title fight in 2024, so there will be a lot of bad blood between them.

The full incident between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at #UFC296 tonight.

Bring on #UFC297 in January! pic.twitter.com/HQt0Uj1jiv

— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023

Merry Christmas

There will be no UFC for a while, so FitnessFighters wishes you Merry Christmas. We hope you’ll enjoy it with your families. Next week, we will look back at the greatest UFC moments of 2023 and look back at one of the most successful years in the history of the promotion.