Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev gets new date, now scheduled for March 13

A welterweight fight between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev has been rescheduled once again, this time for the main event of a card on March 13.

News of this matchup’s new date was first reported by MMA Junkie, who received the information directly from UFC President Dana White.

Edwards and Chimaev have been scheduled to fight twice now to no avail. The pair were first slated to collide on December 19 in Las Vegas, but the matchup fell through when Edwards was sidelined with COVID-19.

The promotion then rescheduled the pair to headline a card on January 20 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, Chimaev was ultimately forced to withdraw due to complications stemming from a previous COVID-19 infection. That card will now be headlined by a welterweight fight between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny.

Despite two failed attempts to book this Edwards vs. Chimaev fight, White made no secret of his intention to make a third attempt at booking the fight.

“That’s the fight to make,” White told ESPN recently. “I love that fight. They both already agreed to it, so we’ll get it figured out. We’ll turn that around as quick as we can. Just want to make sure both guys are healthy; both guys had COVID.”

While some fans will be glad to see this fight has been rebooked for March 13, others have expressed concerns that Edwards is an undeserved step up in competition for Chimaev.

The surging prospect is just 3-0 in the UFC, with only one of those wins—a TKO over Rhys McKee, who is now 0-2 in the Octagon—occurring in the welterweight division. Leon Edwards, on the other hand, is one of the top welterweights in the world, and currently holds the No. 3 spot in the division’s official rankings.

Whatever the case, it seems this Edwards vs. Chimaev matchup will go ahead—provided the MMA Gods don’t have other plans.

Here’s how the March 13 card looks so far.

• Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
• Davey Grant vs. Jonathan Martinez
• Matthew Semelsberger vs. Jason Witt
• Jinh Yu Frey vs. Gloria de Paula