Leon Edwards aims to stay on March 13 card, has three replacement opponents in mind

No. 3 UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards wants to fight on March 13, and has three opponents in mind for that date.

Edwards was scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 13. Unfortunately, Chimaev was forced out of the fight due to lingering issues stemming from a previous COVID-19 infection, marking the third time the bout has fallen through.

While the UFC has been pretty determined to make this fight happen, it now sounds as though Edwards is ready to move on. According to his manager, Tim Simpson, he’s determined to stay on the March 13 card against another opponent.

That being said, he won’t fight just anybody.

Edwards has his eyes on short-notice fights with Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, and Nate Diaz. While it sounds like he’s also open to a fight with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in theory, Wonderboy won’t be ready for that date, so that matchup has been ruled out.

Ariel Helwani of ESPN has the details:

Leon Edwards is very adamant on staying on the March 13 card, per his manager Tim Simpson. He doesn’t want to delay his return any longer.

As a result, Wonderboy isn’t an option because his hands are still injured from the Neal fight and he’ll only be able to return in May/June.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 12, 2021

Per Simpson, Edwards wants Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington … or Nathan Diaz on March 13.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 12, 2021

“Leon Edwards is very adamant on staying on the March 13 card, per his manager Tim Simpson,” Helwani reported. “He doesn’t want to delay his return any longer. As a result, Wonderboy isn’t an option because his hands are still injured from the Neal fight and he’ll only be able to return in May/June.

“Per Simpson, Edwards wants Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington … or Nathan Diaz on March 13,” Helwani added in a followup Tweet.

Leon Edwards has not fought since he defeated former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in July of 2019, having been sidelined by the pandemic and repeated fight cancelations. Given his prolonged layoff, it’s no surprise he’s determined to fight on March 13 as planned.

Prior to defeating dos Anjos, Edwards picked up victories over two other top-flight fighters in Gunnar Nelson and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. He’s currently on an eight-fight win-streak.

Who do you want to see Leon Edwards fight next?