Leon Edwards tested positive for Covid-19 and the fight against Khamzat Chimaev has been handed a tentative new date
Covid-19 struck the UFC, again, as Leon Edwards vs Khamzat Chimaev is off for now. Edwards, ranked #3 in the Welterweight division, tested positive for the coronavirus and the fight had to be called off.
The pair were to meet on 19 December and headline UFC Fight Night 183. However, those plans have had to be changed. The UFC has brought in other fighters to replace the main event but this is a huge blow to the promotion.
This would be the third straight event affected by the virus but the UFC already have plans for when the fight could take place.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN posted that the UFC are planning to schedule Chimaev vs Edwards in 2021 but don’t have a January date in mind yet.
They still want it to be a five-round clash and it will be interesting to see which event the pair main event:
The current hope for Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev is to re-book it in January and keep it five rounds, I’m told. No date yet, but that’s the hope.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 2, 2020
Wishing Edwards the best
Chimaev, undefeated in his MMA career, would have wanted to cap off the year on a high. He has looked incredible since coming to the UFC and this would have been his fourth fight of the year.
Edwards, for his part, was kicked out of the UFC rankings but reinstated after he accepted this fight. Rocky, as Edwards is called, is on an eight-fight win streak. However, the British star last fought more than a year ago when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos.
Chimaev was quick to wish his rival the best and it will be interesting to see how the fight would go:
https://twitter.com/KChimaev/status/1333933207259996161?s=20
Okamoto also highlighted that the UFC had a main event for the fight. Geoff Neal was to face Stephen Thompson in the co-main event but it has now been pushed up to five rounds.
Per UFC, Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) vs. Geoff Neal (@handzofsteelmma) is the new main event for the UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19 in Vegas. They were originally the co-main event. It's now a five-rounder. Neal gets his first headliner.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 2, 2020
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