Khamzat Chimaev is looking to replace Jorge Masvidal to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269.
Masvidal and Edwards were supposed to have their grudge match on December 11 in Las Vegas at UFC 269. It was a highly-anticipated fight but on Wednesday, it was revealed “Gamebred” was out of the fight due to an injury, and Chimaev is looking to step in.
https://twitter.com/KChimaev/status/1458539987704680450
“Let’s go bro we do it @LeonEdwardsMMA,” Chimaev wrote on social media.
Okamoto then talked to Chimaev’s manager who confirmed they want the fight.
Spoke to Khamzat Chimaev's (@KChimaev) manager Majdi Shammas. Too early to know what is going to happen, but Khamzat has been asking him for a fight every day since UFC 267.
Just texted him when he saw news of Masvidal's withdrawal. "Call UFC now, we travel tomorrow."
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 10, 2021
“Call UFC now, we travel tomorrow,” Chimaev’s manager said.
Chimaev and Edwards have already been booked to fight each other three times now but it was off due to COVID-19. The first time last December, Edwards tested positive for COVID-19 and they were rebooked for January but this time Chimaev got COVID-19. In March they were once again rebooked but the Swede was recovering from the virus and couldn’t fight again.
Whether or not Edwards agrees to fight Chimaev is uncertain. The Brit could decide to wait and try and get the title shot as he said his next fight was either going to be Usman or Masvidal.
Khamzat Chimaev (10-0) is coming off a dominant first-round submission win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267. He is 4-0 inside the Octagon with stoppage wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Rhys McKee, and John Phillips. He’s currently ranked 10th in the welterweight division.
Leon Edwards (19-3 and one No Contest) is coming off a five-round decision win over Nate Diaz. Prior to that, he had a No Contest against Belal Muhammad due to an eye poke. He’s on a 10-fight unbeaten streak and holds notable wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone, and Vicente Luque. His last loss came back in 2015 to Usman.
Would you like to see Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 269?