Just like that, one of the most anticipated fights on the UFC 269 card is no more.
On Wednesday, ESPN was first to report that Jorge Masvidal had suffered an undisclosed injury, and was off the final PPV of the year. Masvidal had been expected to face rival Leon Edwards, a fight that had been brewing for years following the infamous “three piece and a soda” backstage encounter.
Masvidal (35-15) last competed in April, where he lost his second straight title fight against Kamaru Usman. Prior to those back-to-back setbacks, “Gamebred” had been tearing up the 170lb weight class with a trio of wins against Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz — the later for the “BMF” title.
Edwards (19-3, 1NC) is coming off a win over Nate Diaz, and has won his last nine fights, aside from a No Contest against Belal Muhammad due to an accidental eye poke. In ordinary circumstances, Edwards would already have fought for the title, but a mixture of timing, luck, and an existing loss to champ Usman have held him back.
With Jorge Masvidal out, the hunt is on for a replacement, and Khamzat Chimaev has already reportedly stepped up. While not official, the fighter told ESPN that he was ready to call the UFC and ask for the fight.
Khamzat Chimaev is ready to step in 😤
(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/xe3saMtULQ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 10, 2021
Chimaev and Edwards had been booked to face one another previously, only for the fight to fall through several times.
For now, UFC 269, which is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 11, 2021, breaks down as follows:
Charles Oliveira (c) vs. Dustin Poirier – for the UFC lightweight championship
Amanda Nunes (c) vs. Julianna Peña – for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship
Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt
Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley
Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Dominick Cruz vs. Pedro Munhoz
Josh Emmett vs. Dan Ige
Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
Ryan Hall vs. Darrick Minner
Gillian Robertson vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley
Jordan Wright vs. Bruno Silva
Erin Blanchfield vs. Miranda Maverick
Andre Muniz vs. Eryk Anders
Leon Edwards vs. TBD