The Fighter vs. The Writer returns with special guest Alan Jouban joining MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin to break down all the storylines unfolding at UFC 296 along with picks and predictions. At the top of the card, Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight title against Colby Covington but just how big are the stakes in this fight for Covington as he gets his third shot at becoming undisputed champion. Could this be his last chance at winning the welterweight title? We’ll also talk about a potential Fight of the Night in the co-main event as Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Brandon Royval. Shavkat Rakhmonov takes on Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and we’ll discuss where we feel like Rakhmonov fits in this division, especially if he gets a win at UFC 296. Also what does Thompson need to do to pull off the upset? Tony Ferguson will attempt to stave off a seventh consecutive loss in a row but Jouban explains why he believes the UFC gave him the best possible fight while matching him up against Paddy Pimblett. Plus with all the distractions happening around Ian Machado Garry, can he shut out the noise and just focus on his fight with Vicente Luque? All this and more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer! Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices