Well, this is not the UFC news that anyone wanted to hear this morning. Currently being reported by RT Sport, a Russian media outlet, the much anticipated Fight Island headliner between Khamzat Chimaev (9-0) and Leon Edwards (18-3) is off again.
UFC officials have not yet confirmed this news. However, RT Sport says that they have confirmed with a source close to the situation after initial reports out of Sweden. This is the second time that this welterweight fight has fallen through.
Originally, UFC Vegas 17 was supposed to be headlined by Chimaev and Edwards. However, Edwards came down with COVID-19 and the fight had to be pushed back. The UFC officially announced the fight last week.
However, it now appears that the promotion will have to switch gears. We should all pause until the news is confirmed by UFC officials, but this is a massive blow to Dana White’s proposed International Fight Week.
Last week the UFC finalized a fight between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny for the same card. The idea was that if the main event fell through, one of those guys could potentially step in. However, there’s no word yet as to why the fight is off.
What will the UFC do?
MMA Fighting has confirmed that Khamzat Chimaev had to pull out of the UFC Fight Island 8 main event. At this time there is no word on why Chimaev pulled out, but he is the one this time who has had to pull out.
If Leon Edwards is still ready to fight, I think the UFC should see if he’d be willing to fight Chiesa or Magny. Edwards desperately needs to get back into the cage and fight after missing all of 2020.
At this time, there is no word on why Chimaev has had to pull out of the main event. That being said, we don’t know how long Chimaev will be on the shelf. If it’s a short-term thing, the UFC could try to book the Chimaev – Edwards fight for the third time.
This situation is still developing and we will continue to monitor and update throughout the day.