UFC Fight Tonight: Is there a UFC card on Saturday, March 13, 2021?
UFC is back with a stacked fight card once again this Saturday, March 13, 2021, at the UFC Apex arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Following last week's action-packed pay-per-view headlined by the superfight between light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and middleweight king Israel Adesanya, this week, UFC has a top welterweight battle in the main event of the fight card.
Leon Edwards will face Belal Muhammad in the main event this weekend, while the co-main event will see Misha Cirkunov face Ryan Spann.
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
Also known as UFC Fight Night 187, UFC on ESPN+ 45, and UFC Vegas 21, the fight card lost its original headliner when Khamzat Chimaev had to pull out due to the after effects of COVID-19. Edwards vs. Chimaev had been booked for a third time for the March 13 card, after the fight was canceled on two previous occasions. The pair were first expected to square off at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal on December 19, 2020, then at UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny on January 20, 2021.
The first time around, it was Leon Edwards who had tested positive for COVID-19 and had to withdraw from the bout. The fight was rebooked for January but was once again called off as Khamzat Chimaev fell prey to the Coronavirus. Once he recovered, it seemed like UFC could finally go ahead and get third-time-lucky with the fight.
However, it was not meant to be. Khamzat Chimaev continued to suffer from lingering after effects of the virus, for which he not only pulled out of the fight, but also apparently announced his retirement from the sport. He has since deleted the post from his social media accounts.
Here is what he said about the decision:
In Khamzat Chimaev's absence, Belal Muhammad has stepped in to fight Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC Vegas 21.
Belal Muhammad took the fight on short notice despite having fought less than a month ago. He faced Dhiego Lima at UFC 258 on February 13 and picked up a unanimous decision victory to take his current winning streak to four.
Leon Edwards, on the other hand, has double the number of wins on his current streak. In his last fight, in July 2019, the Brit overcame Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision.
Other major fights on the main card include a light heavyweight contest between Ryan Spann and Misha Cirkunov, a featherweight bout between Dan Ige and Gavin Tucker, a bantamweight battle between Jonathan Martinez and Davey Grant, a flyweight bout between Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau, and a middleweight showdown between Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart.