Report: Chimaev out of Fight Island main event against Edwards
The return to Fight Island has lost one of its main events.
Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw from his Jan. 20 fight against Leon Edwards for unspecified reasons, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
The bout was previously postponed from Dec. 19 after Edwards contracted COVID-19. It's unclear whether the UFC will keep the Englishman on the card.
Fellow welterweights Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa are booked on the same card in Abu Dhabi, so the promotion could potentially bump one of the two up to face Edwards.
"Rocky," the No. 4-ranked 170-pounder, hasn't fought since he won his eighth straight contest against Rafael dos Anjos in July 2019. Edwards was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley in March, but the matchup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Chimaev established himself as one of the UFC's fastest rising stars in 2020 with three dominant victories over the course of 66 days, including a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert on Sept. 19.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are set to face off in the Jan. 23 Fight Island main event, while Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar will kick off the UFC's return to Abu Dhabi on Jan. 16.