Dana White Plans to Book Leon Edwards-Khamzat Chimaev as Jan. 20 Headliner

Dana White outlines the plan for three events at the start of 2021. pic.twitter.com/FtEz2IBbEx

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 10, 2020

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is going ahead full-steam with Yas Island cards to begin the year.

Per UFC President Dana White in an interview with TSN on Thursday, the headlining plan for the Wednesday event early in the new year will be a rebooking of Leon Edwards (18-3) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (9-0). White was not able to confirm the bout at the time, but that it was in the works. The UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 20 will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, between UFC Fight Night 184 and UFC 257.

Should it come to fruition, it will be a month and a day removed from its previously scheduled date, as the two were set to headline UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19 until Edwards tested positive for COVID-19. Edwards fell very ill from the coronavirus, losing a dozen pounds as he grappled with the illness while being unable to train.

The top-ranked Edwards will be making his first appearance since July 2019, when he captured a five-round decision over Rafael dos Anjos. The Brit is on an eight-fight win streak, beating names like Vicente Luque, Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and the aforementioned dos Anjos on his quest for gold. Edwards was unable to face Kamaru Usman for the belt this past summer, as international travel restrictions plus a short-notice camp did not allow him to have proper preparation.

Despite only holding a single win at welterweight inside the Octagon – a stoppage of UFC newcomer Rhys McKee – Chimaev is ranked in the division at the #15 spot. Unbeaten as a pro in nine fights, “Borz” has finished all nine of those foes within two rounds. Chimaev raced out of the starting gate when signed to the promotion in July, winning three bouts in just over two months. His last performance came at middleweight, when he put Gerald Meerschaert out in 17 seconds with one punch.

White also hinted at a lightweight matchup of Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler on UFC 257, with the expectation that an event topped by Conor McGregor will “have to have a backup.” The UFC head was coy about making the bout official, giving a smirk when saying “could be” after interviewer Aaron Bronsteter floated the idea.

The UFC Fight Night card on Jan. 20 will be held in the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In addition to the prospective Edwards-Chimaev headliner, a women’s flyweight bout between Roxanne Modafferi and Viviane Araujo is expected to take place on this mid-week event. Other bouts on the card include a featherweight scrap between Lerone Murphy and Douglas Silva de Andrade, while Jerome Rivera welcomes Francisco Figueiredo to the Octagon at flyweight.