Darren Till hints that he could replace Leon Edwards to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Dec.19 event
The coronavirus pandemic has ruined yet another UFC main event for 2020. ESPN's Ariel Helwani reported that the bout between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev will not occur on December 19 because Edwards tested positive for the virus.
"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."
While the UFC expects to reschedule the fight for early next year, UFC middleweight Darren Till (18-3-1) has positioned himself as a possible replacement for the bout. It is unclear at this moment as to how serious Till was about his announcement to go back down to welterweight.
"With careful thought I have made the decision to go back to WelterWeight," announced Till on his social media.
A former UFC welterweight championship challenger, Till fought twice in the promotion's middleweight division. He lost earlier this year to the former titleholder of the category, Robert Whittaker, in a UFC Fight Island event.
Third case of COVID-19 to cancel a UFC main event in less than a week
Fans' hopes to see Curtis Blaydes in action against Derrick Lewis crumbled when Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 hours before UFC Vegas 15 started.
Not long after, Kevin Holland, who would face Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 16, announced that he too had tested positive for the virus on his social media.
Fortunately, the two fighters only presented mild symptoms and are eager to start training again. The case with Leon Edwards, however, has been more serious. ESPN's Brett Okamoto reported that the fighter has lost 12 pounds and couldn't do any training during the week.
"Per sources, Leon Edwards' 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," reported Okamoto.
Edwards (18-3) has an impressive winning streak of eight fights. Chimaev is yet to suffer a defeat in his professional MMA career and would have faced a ranked opponent in the UFC for the first time.
As a replacement for the fight, the UFC is thinking about promoting Geoff Neal vs. Stephen Thompson as the night's main event.