Khamzat Chimaev has himself a fight, and it’s absolute stellar competition.
Chimaev will be returning to welterweight to meet Leon Edwards in what is clearly the toughest test of his career to date. Edwards has been out of action this year, and is possibly one of the fighters who’s career has been most affected by the coronavirus.
Edwards was set to meet Tyron Woodley in March, only for the fight to be scrapped due to a worldwide lockdown. Woodley instead met Gilbert Burns, who earned a title shot with a victory.
Now, per ESPN, Edwards will meet Chimaev in a five-round main event on December 19 in Las Vegas — the last card for the UFC’s schedule.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the news with Jim Rome.
“We just got a deal done [Thursday] for Leon Edwards vs. Chimaev,” White said. “They will fight. It will be a great fight and he can stop calling everyone out on Twitter now. He’s got an opponent.
“… He’s a nice guy, but I would say he’s a super confident version of Khabib,” White said of Khamzat. “This guy wants to fight everybody. He doesn’t care and he’ll move up one weight class, two weight classes. When you’re a fight fan, those guys are fun. You love guys who want to fight like that, that want to become the best fighter in the world in multiple weight classes, or you’re the guy that wants to see that guy lose. It’s good in every way shape or form.”
