Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards were set to headline UFC Vegas 17 — which will go down on Dec. 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada — before the Welterweight matchup was scrapped after “Rocky” tested positive for COVID-19.
As a result, Stephen Thompson will headline the event opposite Geoff Neal in another pivotal fight at 170 pounds.
Now, TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter is revealing that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has found a new date for the bout, as Dana White recently told him that it would now headline an upcoming “Fight Night” event on Wed., Jan. 20 2021, which is expected to go down on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Chimaev is looking to get back in the public eye after taking the sport by storm by winning two fights (both finishes) in the span of 10 days this past summer on “Fight Island.” He followed that up by knocking out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds two months later.
Edwards, on the other hand, has been sitting on the sidelines for a year and a half now due to one setback after another. Aside from coming down with the coronavirus, his proposed bout against Tyron Woodley — which was set to go down this past March — was scrapped due to the promotion postponing all of its events due to the pandemic.