Khamzat Chimaev out of January main event against Leon Edwards

The enticing welterweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards has been canceled once again. Chimaev is no longer part of the January 20th UFC Fight Night main event. Undisclosed reasons were cited for his removal from the bout.

An initial report from Front Kick Online created a ripple effect on mixed-martial arts social media and MMA Junkie confirmed the news with someone who is close to this situation.

The first time UFC attempted to book Chimaev vs Edwards saw Leon Edwards test positive for COVID-19 and that proposed December 19th bout was scrapped thereafter.

Khamzat Chimaev out

Khamzat Chimaev has taken the MMA world by storm with a spotless octagon run and an unblemished MMA record overall. The 9-0 fighter is riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC. Those victories came within three months of debuting with the company.

Many see Chimaev as the breakthrough fighter of 2020. He has been concurrently competing at both welterweight as well as middleweight. Chimaev’s last outing was at 185 lbs. He stopped Gerald Meerschaert less than twenty seconds into round one in September.

Leon Edwards has not stepped into the confines of the cage since his July 2019 victory over former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Despite riding an eight-fight win streak at 170 lbs, it has been a bit of a tough task for the welterweight contender to get an opponent for the last year and a half.

Leon Edwards is still listed as being on the card opposite TBA. Many are pontificating on if the UFC dissolves the Neil Magny vs Michael Chiesa bout on the same card so they can have a new main event.

Magny was already expected to serve as the backup to the Chimaev versus Edwards main event anyway. All signs seem to indicate, at least at this juncture, that UFC is looking to keep Edwards on the card but time will tell.

Does the UFC try to rebook Chimaev vs Edwards or is the third time not the charm for this prizefight?

Check out Chimaev’s last bout before signing with the UFC below

Dylan Bowker

I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.

See Full Bio