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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
The UFC is continuing to add to its year-end pay-per-view card.
Josh Emmett will face Giga Chikadze in a featherweight contender bout at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Wednesday.
The UFC also announced that Irene Aldana will face Karol Rosa in a key women’s bantamweight matchup and former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt will take on Brian Kelleher.
Emmett (18-4) is coming off a Fight of the Night loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC Jacksonville in June. The 38-year-old California resident fell previously in an interim featherweight title fight against Yair Rodriguez back in February. ESPN has him ranked No. 7 in the world at 145 pounds.
Chikadze (15-3) has won 10 of his past 11 fights, including a unanimous decision win over Alex Caceres in August at UFC Singapore. The 35-year-old Republic of Georgia-born fighter has just one UFC loss, to Calvin Kattar in January 2022.
Aldana (14-7), a 35-year-old Mexican fighter, fell to Amanda Nunes in a UFC women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 289 in June. Rosa (17-5), a 28-year-old from Brazil, is making her return to bantamweight after two fights at featherweight.
ESPN has Aldana ranked No. 4 and Rosa No. 8 in the world at women’s 135 pounds.
UFC 296 will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Leon Edwards and former interim champ Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Brandon Royval.