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Published 14:28 IST, February 19th 2021

Belal Muhammad replaces Khamzat Chimaev, will fight Leon Edwards at UFC Vegas 21: Report

Belal Muhammad, who defeated Dhiego Lima just a few days ago at UFC 258, has agreed to step up and fight Leon Edwards at the main event of UFC Vegas 21.

Reported by: Adil Khan
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Dana White and team have finally found a new opponent for Leon Edwards after Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw from their scheduled clash at UFC Vegas 21 (UFC Fight Night 187). Belal Muhammad, who defeated Dhiego Lima just a few days ago at UFC 258, has agreed to step up, accepting the fight on short notice. UFC made the news official on their social media accounts while sharing the official poster of the new UFC Vegas 21 main event, which is expected to take place on March 13 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

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Leon Edwards thanks Belal Muhammad for stepping up

Earlier, Rocky took to Twitter and thanked Belal Muhammad for accepting the bout “when no one else would”. He also claimed that on March 13 he’s going to “show [he is]the best in the world”. Leon Edwards has not fought since picking a decision victory over former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in July 2019. He was slated to make his return against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in early 2020, but the fight was scrapped due to travel restrictions, stemming from COVID-19.

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He was then booked to fight Chimaev on three different dates, but all the three fights were cancelled, with the most recent cancellation coming in early February after the Lone Wolf tested positive for COVID-19. Belal Muhammad, on the other hand, is currently on a four-fight winning streak, having defeated fighters like Dhiego Lima, Curtis Millender, Takashi Sato and Lyman Good. While ‘Remember The Name’ is a massive underdog going into the bout, he’s expected to give Edwards a tough competition.

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Belal Muhammad vs Leon Edwards: Edwards UFC Vegas 21 updated fight card

  • Welterweight bout: Belal Muhammad vs Leon Edwards (Main event)
  • Bantamweight bout: Davey Grant vs Jonathan Martinez
  • Welterweight bout: Matthew Semelsberger vs Jason Witt
  • Women’s Strawweight bout: Jinh Yu Frey vs Gloria de Paula
  • Featherweight bout: Dan Ige vs opponent TBA
  • Middleweight bout: Eryk Anders vs Darren Stewart
  • Lightweight bout: Nasrat Haqparast vs opponent TBA
  • Featherweight bout: Steve Garcia vs Charles Jourdain
  • Featherweight bout: Ricardo Ramos vs Zubaira Tukhugov
  • Bantamweight bout: Ray Rodriguez vs Rani Yahya
  • Heavyweight bout: Philipe Lins vs Ben Rothwell
  • Flyweight bout: Matheus Nicolau vs Tagir Ulanbekov
  • Light Heavyweight bout: Misha Cirkunov vs Ryan Spann

Disclaimer: Fight card, bout order and the number of matches could change before the event

Also Read l UFC News: Chimaev out of UFC Vegas 21 bout against Edwards due to COVID-19: Dana

Image Source: UFC/ Twitter

Updated 14:28 IST, February 19th 2021