MMA WeeklyLeon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev latest UFC main event canceled by COVID-19
The UFC's final event of the year is the latest casualty in a string of main event cancellations or changes. UFC Vegas 17, slated for Dec. 19, on Tuesday lost its headliner after Leon Edwards was pulled from his bout with Khamzat Chimaev after he tested positive for COVID-19. UFC broadcast partner ESPN on Tuesday reported that Edwards was out of the bout with a severe case of COVID-19. He apparently hasn't been able to train at all for the bout with Chimaev and has lost 12 pounds in four days. Chimaev, who made his UFC debut in July and has reeled off three straight victories in the Octagon, had hoped to use Edwards as his stepping stone to the top of the welterweight division. No. 3 ranked Edwards last fought in July of 2019. He had hoped to return to face former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in March, but the nearly global lockdown forced the event's cancellation. UFC's final leg of 2020 plagued by COVID-19 cancellations Every one of the UFC's final six events of a pandemic plagued 2020 has suffered a change to its main event or outright cancellation. Most have COVID-19 to blame. UFC Vegas 14 on Nov. 14 was originally slated to feature former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos returning to the 155-pound division opposite Islam Makhachev. Paul Felder stepped in to face dos Anjos on short notice when Makhachev withdrew because of a staph infection. UFC 255 on Nov. 21 was supposed to feature Deiveson Figueiredo's first flyweight title defense opposite Cody Garbrandt. That bout was nixed after Garbrandt fell out because of COVID-19. Figueiredo instead successfully defended his belt against Alex Perez. The following week's UFC Vegas 15 heavyweight main event between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis was canceled the morning of the weigh-in when Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. Co-main eventers Anthony Smith and Devin Clark were elevated to headlining status. This week's UFC Vegas 16 main event between Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland shifted gears after Holland tested positive for COVID-19. Holland was moved to the Dec. 12 UFC 256 fight card to face Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Jacare's opponent, Marvin Vettori, has been enlisted to fight Hermansson in the UFC Vegas 16 main event in a swap of opponents. UFC 256 has undergone several changes, though none were COVID-19 related. Having gone through several championship main event cancellations, UFC 256 finally landed on Figueiredo making a quick return to defend his belt for the second time. Barring any more changes, he will headline the card opposite No. 1 contender Brandon Moreno, who also fought and won at UFC 255. With Edwards vs. Chimaev nixed, UFC Vegas 17 may now feature a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal, two ranked contenders that were already inked for the Dec. 19 fight card. UFC officials, however, have not confirmed the new main event yet. TRENDING > Colby Covington calls out LeBron James after YouTuber Jake Paul KOs former NBA star Trending Video > YouTuber Jake Paul after KOing former NBA star: 'Conor McGregor and I will happen for sure' (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyColby Covington calls out LeBron James after YouTuber Jake Paul KOs former NBA star
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington has never been one to hold his tongue. That is particularly true when it comes to politics – he's a long time support of President Donald Trump – and calling out other professional athletes that he derides for being "woke." Taking advantage of the flare up around Mike Tyson's comeback fight in an exhibition with Roy Jones, Jr., Covington again took a shot at NBA great LeBron James. "Heard they finally scraped Nate Robinson's carcass off the Staples Center floor. I'd make LeBron James eat the canvas in half the amount of time. Everyone knows current NBA players are the softest and most privileged athletes on the planet."Colby Covington on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColbyCovMMA/status/1333449138357358592?s=20 YouTube celebrity Jake Paul knocked out Nate Robinson as part of the Tyson vs. Jones undercard. Robinson is a former NBA player whose highlights include winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest three times. Paul knocked him down several times in the bout, finishing the fight with a punch that sent Robinson crashing face first into the canvas in the second round. Having seen what Paul did to Robinson incited Covington to take his latest shot at James. The NBA great is a four-time champion (most recently with the L.A. Lakers in 2020), a four-time NBA finals MVP, and a four-time NBA league MVP. Covington took aim at James and other NBA players in September after several of them spoke up and sat out in a protest again racial injustice and police brutality. Recently campaigning for Trump in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, Covington has also been an outspoken opponent of the Black Lives Matter movement. TRENDING > Dana White says Mike Tyson looked ‘f—ing awesome’; targets UFC Fight Island for International Fight Week on Related Video > Colby Covington trashes LeBron James and 'woke athletes' as 'spineless cowards' (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyUFC middleweights swap opponents after Kevin Holland tests positive for COVID-19
The UFC round robin continued on Saturday after Kevin Holland tested positive for COVID-19. The dominoes began falling on Friday when Curtis Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. That nixed his UFC Vegas 15 headlining heavyweight bout opposite Derrick Lewis on Saturday. The second domino fell on Saturday when Kevin Holland, who was set to headline UFC Vegas 16 next week, also tested positive for COVID-19. He was quickly replaced by Marvin Vettori, who steps into the UFC Vegas 16 main event opposite Jack Hermansson. By the time the UFC was ready to confirm that Vettori had stepped in for Holland, they already had Holland rebooked. In what becomes a swap of middleweight opponents, Holland has already agreed to face Vettori's UFC 256 opponent Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at the Dec. 12 pay-per-view event. That's a fairly quick turnaround after having just tested positive for COVID-19. The assumption would be that Holland is asymptomatic and otherwise healthy. If that is so, he should have just enough time to try and get clear of COVID-19, but of course he will have to undergo multiple tests again prior to stepping into the Octagon with Jacare. TRENDING > Dana White supports bigger fines for missing weight, considering Women’s Atomweight division Trending Video > Dana White explains why Michael Chandler isn’t fighting Tony Ferguson (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
