Khamzat Chimaev on January 20’s main match against Leon Edwards

The match between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards has been deleted again.

Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was forced out of the UFC Fight Night mainline on January 20 for unknown reasons. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the situation after an initial report from FrontKickOnline.

The pair would initially face UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19, but Edwards withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19. His battle with the coronavirus was fierce, while native Birmingham, England lost 12 pounds during his illness.

Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who has not fought since July 2019 when he defeated former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos, said the least. The Briton would face former champion Tyron Woodley in London in March, but the British government’s coronavirus restrictions led to the event having to be canceled.

Edwards’ campaign to compete in 2020 was unsuccessful, and travel restrictions made the pursuit of a match even more difficult. Edwards mentioned people like Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, but eventually pulled the rising prospect Chimaev.

Chimaev’s rise in 2020 was unmatched. The Chechen-born fighter took the UFC by storm when he achieved three dominant finishes in the span of three months as he became one of the most popular prospects in the sport.

The updated series for UFC Fight Night on January 20 includes:

  • Leon Edwards teen TBD
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
  • Viviane Araujo teen Roxanne Modafferi
  • Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
  • Francisco Figueredo vs. Jerome Rivera
  • Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
  • Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Jeffrey Molina
  • Lerone Murphy teen Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Vinicius Moreira teen Ike Villanueva
  • Manon Fiorot teen Victoria Leonardo

.Source