Leon Edwards is suddenly without an opponent for his highly-anticipated showdown with Jorge Masvidal after the latter suffered an undisclosed injury, per ESPN.
The welterweight showdown was slated to feature on the card headlined by Charles Oliveira defending his lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier. As of now, there’s been no word on whether Edwards will remain on the Dec. 11 card.
At 19-3, Edwards is on a nine-fight winning streak, yet he’s been unable to earn his first shot at UFC gold. His last time out in the Octagon, Edwards earned a decision victory over Nate Diaz, a win many assumed would be enough to give him No. 1 contender status. After Kamaru Usman’s second victory over Colby Covington at UFC 268, there’s no clear path forward for the welterweight king.
With Edwards’ appearance now in jeopardy, a fellow rising welterweight has thrown his name into the ring: Khamzat Chimaev.
Let’s go bro we do it @Leon_edwardsmma 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/HXvytUOIRt
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 10, 2021
Chimaev is unbeaten in 10 professional appearances, with his last three wins coming in the first round via knockout, TKO and submission just 11 days ago.
For Masvidal, despite coming off back-to-back losses against Usman, he’s reach McGregor and Diaz status: his wins and losses no longer matter. Masvidal is a draw no matter who he fights. With that said, there’s no guarantee an Edwards tilt gets rescheduled with Covington calling out “Gamebred” following his own loss to Usman.
