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Khamzat Chimaev ruled out of UFC Fight Island headliner with Leon Edwards

Farah Hannoun
·2 min read

The matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards has been scrapped once again.

Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been forced out of the UFC Fight Night headliner on Jan. 20 due to undisclosed reasons. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the situation following an initial report from FrontKickOnline.

The pair were initially scheduled to face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19, but Edwards withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19. His battle with coronavirus was severe, with the Birmingham, England native losing 12 pounds during his illness.

Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who hasn’t fought since July 2019 when he defeated former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos, has had a rough 2020 to say the least. The Brit was scheduled to face former champion Tyron Woodley in London in March, but the U.K. government’s coronavirus restrictions forced the event to be canceled.

Edwards’ campaign to compete in 2020 remained unsuccessful, with travel restrictions making his pursuit of a matchup even more difficult. Edwards called out the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, but finally ended up drawing rising prospect Chimaev instead.

Chimaev’s rise in 2020 has been unparalleled. The Chechen-born fighter took the UFC by storm when he picked up three dominant finishes in the span of three months, as he became one of the hottest prospects in the sport.

The updated line up for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20 includes:

  • 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