The UFC postponed three events during March and April due to the coronavirus pandemic. UFC on ESPN+ 29 (London) on March 21, UFC on ESPN 8 (Columbus) on March 28 and UFC on ESPN+ 30 (Portland) on April 11 were all pushed back due to safety concerns over the ongoing crisis, causing more than 30 matchups to fall apart.
Out of all the athletes who lost out on the chance to compete, though, which one got the worst end of the situation? MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, John Morgan and Nolan King give their opinion on the latest edition of Triple Take.
Mike Bohn: Leon Edwards loses
Even if the UFC opts to rebook the Leon Edwards vs. former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley fight that was originally planned as the UFC London main event, it seems unlikely the circumstances would be replicated. It was the perfect scenario for “Rocky,” who needed an eight-fight winning streak just to get to this opportunity. But now it’s hard to push away the feeling that disappointment is headed his way.
Edwards only got the matchup with Woodley after a lot of headache. Woodley did not want the fight from the outset, and said as much publicly. He wanted a bigger name and a bigger fight, but with the way the matchups unfolded at the top of the welterweight division, Edwards was the only logical option for “The Chosen One” after being out since March 2019, when he lost UFC gold to Kamaru Usman.
It was only a matter of hours from the time the fight was called off for Colby Covington to slide into the picture. He offered to step in as a replacement against Woodley, but it never came close to reality because the UFC ultimately had to scratch the event altogether. Since then, though, Woodley has been beating the drum to fight Covington next, and has all but pushed Edwards’ name to the wayside.
The UFC will ultimately decide who it decides to offer Woodley next, but even if it’s Edwards again, the moment in time can’t be recaptured.
Edwards was not only about to get the biggest fight of his life, but he was going to get it on home soil. Headlining a combat sports card at the famous O2 Arena in London is a dream scenario for any Brit fighter, and Edwards was about to get that. Considering the UFC only goes to London once a year, the odds of Edwards landing that same venue are slim to none.
The timing of the fight was also in Edwards’ favor. With welterweight champ Usman likely to make his next defense in the summer, a victory for Edwards would have put him in position to either serve as a title-fight back-up, or challenge the winner. But now Edwards is the odd man out, and it’s entirely possible he loses a deserved opportunity because this single fight fell apart.
Next page: John Morgan: Shahbazyan’s breakout moment missed
John Morgan: Shahbazyan’s breakout moment missed
Undefeated middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan looks every bit the part of a future UFC title contender, so much so that even reigning champion Israel Adesanya has already mentioned his name as a potential opponent down the line. At just 22 years old, “The Golden Boy” has been flawless in his UFC run, picking up four wins, including his past three victories coming via first-round stoppage.
Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was originally scheduled to take on perennial contender Derek Brunson earlier this month at UFC 248. Considering how the main event ended that night, with Adesanya taking home a rather lackluster decision win over Yoel Romero, had Shahbazyan impressed again, his name likely would have been immediately tossed out as a potential nightmare for “The Last Stylebender.”
A Brunson illness forced a delay of the contest until April 11, where it was going to serve as the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Portland, Ore. At the time, the upbeat Shahbazyan took the news in stride.
Of course, Shabazyan had no way to know that three weeks later, a global pandemic would be responsible for the cancellation of three UFC cards, including the show in Portland. As you can imagine, he wasn’t quite as upbeat about that latest development.
To be fair Shabazyan definitely has time on his side. Despite his youth, he already sits at No. 15 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, and he appears destined for great things in his future. But due to a series of events outside of his control, the Glendale Fight Club product was robbed of his opportunity to notch a breakout moment.
Here’s hoping he can get booked again quickly once the world gets back to normal.
Next page: Nolan King: Heavyweight title shot in limbo
Nolan King: Heavyweight title shot in limbo
When looking over the events postponed because of the coronavirus, one thing becomes pretty clear: The winner of the UFC on ESPN 8 main event between Francis Ngannou and Jair Rozenstruik missed out big.
With UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic likely defending his title against former UFC light heavyweight and UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier next, Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was an unofficial fight for challenger status.
Both fighters are currently riding tidal waves of momentum. Ngannou has won three straight fights by TKO, a streak which includes two former UFC champions, Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
As for Rozenstruik, one of the UFC’s breakthrough fighters of 2020, had a major first year with the promotion. Four times the Surinamese fighter stepped into the cage in 2019 – and four times he won by knockout, including his most recent, and most memorable, a last-minute knockout of Alistair Overeem.
This fight had major implications for both fighters. As a result of the postponement, Ngannou missed out on his first opportunity to fight in nine months and Rozenstruik will no longer fight in the biggest matchup of his career to date.
Some things require long explanations and some are simple: This sucks.
