Report: Leon Edwards – Khamzat Chimaev Fight is Off Again

It looks like the UFC needs to find a new main event for the promotion’s January 20th card on Fight Island, as it’s being reported Khazamt Chimaev has withdrawn.

Edwards – Chimaev is off again

The rising star was scheduled to fight welterweight contender, Leon Edwards in the headliner of the event, which is set to go down in Abu Dhabi. FrontKickOnline, recently reported, however, that Chimaev has withdrawn from the card due to undisclosed reasons.

MMA Junkie has also confirmed with a source that Chimaev is no longer fighting at the upcoming event.

As this is being written, it’s not clear whether the UFC will look to rebook Edwards – Chimaev, or find ‘Rocky’ a new opponent for January 20th.

The two were scheduled to fight on December 19th, but Edwards could not fight as a result of contracting COVID-19.

So, clearly this is another setback for the UFC, who have been hoping to have Chimaev (9-0) fight in a headliner, as a result of his impressive, 3-0 start in the promotion.

Depending on how it plays out, it’s also the latest curveball to be thrown at Edwards (18-3). The contender was supposedt to fight former champ Tyron Woodley earlier this year, but the pandemic cancelled the fight.

Edwards hasn’t fought now since July, 2019 when he scored a decision win over Rafael dos Anjos.

Current line-up for the January 20 card

Here is the line-up for the UFC’s January 20 card, as it stands right now.

Leon Edwards vs. TBD
Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
Viviane Araujo vs. 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 vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
Manon Fiorot vs. Victoria Leonardo

Line-up via MMA Junkie