UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev tested positive for COVID recently. Subsequently, his proposed bout against Leon Edwards fell apart for the second time in quick succession.

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Borz’ is now in his home at Chechen. Recently, a video of him playing with a lion surfaced on social media. By the looks of it, for ‘Borz’, there seems to be no difference between a lion and a domesticated kitten.

Chimaev will need some time to recover from the infection. His manager Ali Abdelaziz informed that the Russian fighter can’t start training until early January.

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The UFC has no plans of canceling his bout against Edwards. Rather, they are looking to reschedule it for a convenient later date in 2021.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – JULY 20: Leon Edwards of Jamaica is interviewed after defeating Rafael Dos Anjos of Brazil by unanimous decision in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at AT&T Center on July 20, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Leon Edwards has been out of action since his 2019 win over Rafael dos Anjos. He was temporarily removed from the UFC rankings and was forced to accept the fight against Chimaev. This is a dangerous fight for the Brit. As he has very little to gain but a lot to lose.

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Edwards wanted to be a part of the January 20 card and face one of Michael Chiesa or Neil Magny. But the UFC turned down those offers as they want him to fight Chimaev only.

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Khamzat Chimaev will be looking to carry on from his excellent 2020

Chimaev had an excellent 2020 as he managed three wins in quick successions. He has only fought once in the welterweight division and is ranked 15th in the division currently. But the UFC has granted him the opportunity to fight a battle-tested top contender like Leon Edwards.

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Should Chimaev get past Edwards in impressive fashion, he may get a shot at the welterweight gold immediately. His unprecedented meteoric rise will be exemplary for the next newcomers.

He has set the benchmark high with his high-standards inside the Octagon. How do you think Chimaev will fare against Leon Edwards? What did you make of him playing with the cub barehanded?

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Apratim Banerjee

1,260 Articles

Apratim Banerjee is a senior UFC author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters. Dan Henderson’s brutal knockout against Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in 2009 is one of his earliest memories of the sport. He has never missed a UFC PPV or a Fight Night since, which speaks volumes about his wealth of MMA knowledge. Israel Adesanya, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Conor McGregor are some of his favorite fighters. Apart from this, Apratim plays soccer in his free time and loves scoring long-distance goals.

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