Leon “Rocky Edwards once again lost a top fight due to the pandemic. He was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley in his country but due to the lockdown, the fight was canceled. Edwards has lost the opportunity to fight Woodley which may have led to him fighting for the title against Usman.
Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev isn’t happening on Dec. 19, per sources. Unfortunately, Edwards recently tested positive for COVID.
UFC is hoping to re-book the fight in early 2021, sources say.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 1, 2020
Due to his high rank, only a few opponents deserve to fight him since he is on an eight-fight win streak. It would not make sense for him to fight lower-ranked opponents, since he is on the win streak.
Most fans would agree that of all the UFC fighters, the biggest loss during the pandemic is Leon Edwards. Now due to his inactivity in the UFC, he was removed from the rankings for refusing to fight Khamzat Chimaev or Stephen Thompson.
After a few negotiations with the UFC, Edwards eventually agreed to fight Khamzat Chimaev and he was returned to the UFC Rankings. Chimaev might be the biggest UFC has in the year 2020.
Chimaev has fought in two divisions middleweight and welterweight in a span of 1 week. Due to his Khabib-like style, fans have their eyes on Chimaev as the next rising star. Dana White has taken a huge interest in giving Chimaev quick turnaround fights.
Now with less than a month, Edwards has pulled due to testing positive for COVID. It was reported that he could not train due to his bad condition. It is kinda ironic since the news said that Chimaev may have tested for COVID but it was Edwards who ended up testing positive.
It is also worth noting that Edwards is suffering a serious condition, not like any other COVID cases. He lost 12 pounds in fours so it makes sense to pull out. As fight fans, we hope Leon Edwards recovers soon and come back even stronger.
Per sources, Leon Edwards' (@Leon_edwardsmma) case of Covid-19 was pretty severe. He couldn't train at all, and he lost 12 pounds in four days. He's in the process of recovering at home. Wishing him a speedy and full recovery.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 1, 2020
No official announcement as of yet if Chimaev will still fight with a different opponent. The UFC as of this moment is looking to rebook Chimaev vs Edwards in early 2021 but Chimaev has proven that he wants to smash everybody.
Belal Muhammad has put his name on the hat and is ready to step in the main-event. The other one is Neil Magny, who was the only one willing to fight Khamzat Chimaev since the beginning.
Main event Muhammad 🤔
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 1, 2020
5 round fight in 2 weeks, wouldn't be the first for me! Holla at me @ufc
— Neil Magny (@NeilMagny) December 1, 2020
According to Ariel Helwani, the current plan is to make Stephen Wonderboy vs Geoff Neal the main-event. It is still a big fight in the welterweight division but the star power that Khamzat generates is just bigger.
Current 12/19 plan is to bump Wonderboy x Neal to the main event, sources say https://t.co/7IWntavtZo
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 1, 2020
