Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev off from UFC December 19th card
The highly-awaited welterweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards is off. Sadly, Edwards has seemingly tested positive for COVID-19.
After recent rumors suggested that Khamzat Chimaev had pulled out of the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test, the Swede's team eventually declared the rumors to be false. However, on this occasion, Borz's opponent Edwards has indeed tested positive for the virus.
Taking to Twitter, ESPN's Ariel Helwani wrote that the December 19 main event is no longer happening. However, the tweet also suggests that the UFC is reportedly looking to re-book the fight for early 2021.
What happens to Khamzat Chimaev from here onwards?
The UFC on December 19th card will be the final UFC event of 2020. The card is scheduled to feature the likes of Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, Marlon Vera, and Stephen Thompson, in what promises to be a stacked Fight Night event.
However, as things stand, the UFC on December 19 card remains without an official main event, unless one of the confirmed fights gets promoted to the main event spot. That being said, there are still a few weeks left for the UFC to find a new opponent for Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev has made it quite clear that he is ready to fight anyone on any given day, so a change of opponent shouldn't be too much of a problem for him.
Chimaev is currently 3-0 in the UFC and the fight against Leon Edwards definitely would've been the former's toughest task to date in the promotion. That being said, the UFC is hoping to re-book the fight for 2021 and with the promotion set to return to the UFC Fight Island in January, there is a possibility that Chimaev will return to Abu Dhabi.
Could fight fans witness Conor McGregor and Khamzat Chimaev share the same card at UFC 257?