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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White recently announced that Kamaru Usman’s first Welterweight title defense would be against Gilbert Burns at UFC 251 on July 11, 2020 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
But despite being the No. 1 ranked fighter in the division, “Durinho” wasn’t the promotion’s first choice, as Jorge Masvidal was in line to face “The Nigerian Nightmare” before contract disputes put an end to that.
In fact, Burns wasn’t even the promotions second option, as Leon Edwards recently confirmed that UFC matchmakers reached out to him about facing Usman. Unfortunately, “Rocky” had to turn it down since England is still on very strict protocols with it’s COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“For those asking, yes I got offered the shot before Gilbert. We couldn’t make it work this time2020,” wrote Edwards on Twitter following a report from Ariel Helwani. “It has been tough for me on this side of the world, as it has been for a lot of people, but fuck it, you cant stop what is inevitable.”
This isn’t the first time that coronavirus has interrupted Leon’s plans, as he was set to face Tyron Woodley in April before worldwide lock downs and restrictions forced UFC into a hiatus. And even though UFC’s sole intent of locking down “Fight Island” was to have a place for its international fighters to compete, the promotion doesn’t have a say in what other countries are doing as far as travel restrictions.
For now, all Edwards can do is sit back to see how Usman vs. Burns plays out next month, as he will likely face the winner later this year. Assuming UFC and Jorge Masvidal haven’t made nice by then, of course.