Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev won’t be taking place in 2020, as originally scheduled. It will, however, still happen – just at a later date.
UFC president Dana White revealed in an interview Thursday with TSN that the welterweight fight is now expected to headline the promotion’s UFC Fight Night on Wednesday, Jan. 20, which is being targeted for “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
A highly anticipated matchup, Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) vs. Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was pulled as the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner after Edwards contracted COVID-19. Edwards had lost approximately 12 pounds over the duration of his illness and would not recover in time for the then-scheduled fight.
Shortly after news broke of his withdrawal, Edwards issued a statement on Twitter that voiced positivity going forward and gratitude for the support he received.
The cancellation capped a tough year for Edwards, who hasn’t competed since July 2019. Prior to the cancellation of the Chimaev bout, Edwards was scheduled to fight Tyron Woodley at UFC on ESPN+ 29. However, the fight was canceled days beforehand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conversely, Chimaev burst into the national spotlight in 2020 and won his first three UFC fights in the span of a little over two months. His first two victories over John Phillips and Rhys McKee came in an 11-day span. After brief travel issues, Chimaev returned to the cage in September and knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds.
