Leon Edwards has been forced to withdraw from his fight against Tyron Woodley on Saturday.
The Brit was due to headline UFC London on March 21, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced the promotion to change venues and move the event to a yet to be determined location in the United States.
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Leon Edwards revealed he is heartbroken at not being able to headline a UFC show
Posting on Instagram, the welterweight wrote: “Last night I went to sleep still with some hope that UFC London would continue next week.
“I woke up this morning to the news that it won’t be. We have been working with the UFC on possible solutions to keep the fight alive, but unfortunately with such a short window of time, nothing was viable.
“Myself and my team are all fathers, husbands, sons and brothers, and not all of us can leave our families right now. I wish we could have found a way for the fans, I truly do.
“I have been dreaming of headlining a UFC show in my home country since I started this sport. This cancellation is truly heartbreaking. I have never worked harder and never been more prepared for the biggest moment in my career. But I know that the whole world is hurting right now and this is bigger than me, this is bigger than sports.
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Former champion Tyron Woodley is looking for a new opponent to headline what was meant to be UFC London
“All I can hope for is that all of you stay safe and look after each other as we get past this and move forward.
“I am humbled by the thousands of messages of support I have received in the hours since the announcement, I truly appreciate you all and feel a lot of love right now. I look forward to this event being rebooked when it is safe to do so, so Tyron and I can put on the show that you all deserve.
“Please take care, we will all get through is [sic].”
Most of the planned card will not go ahead as various fighters cannot enter the US before a travel ban begins on Tuesday morning, so the UFC is working on a brand new card.
According to ESPN, the promotion is hunting for new fighters and even sent an email to managers and reps as they seek to put on the event using US citizens only.
Part of the email read: “Because we are moving this event to the U.S. next weekend, there will be a number of open spots on that card.
“If you have anyone currently under UFC contract, from bantamweight to welterweight, who wants a short notice fight, please let me know.
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Colby Covington lost his most recent fight at UFC 245 where Kamaru Usman defended his welterweight belt and broke Covington’s jaw
“If you have any UFC vets [sic] or fighters ready for UFC on a week’s notice, please let me know.”
Furthermore, the rescheduled event won’t be in Las Vegas, where the UFC’s headquarters are, as the Nevada State Athletic Commission voted to suspend all combat sports events in the state until March 25.
Woodley is understood to still be ready to fight and is now looking for an opponent, and Colby Covington has put his name forward.
And it is believed Woodley is interested in facing his fellow American.
“Word on the street is [Leon Edwards] is out. The UFC and America need a hero,” Covington, who last fought at UFC 245, tweeted. “Who wants to see American’s Champ put the [Make America Great Again] cape on and beat the f*** out of Tyron Woodley live on ESPN for your entertainment and my personal pleasure?”
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UFC boss Dana White insists the show must go on – and will
UFC president Dana White said his matchmakers are working around the clock to put together a new card and has repeatedly told fans fights will still go on.
The event in Brazil on Saturday went ahead without fans and White also revealed advice from Donald Trump regarding shows.
“I talked to the president and the vice president of the United States today about this and they’re taking this very serious and they’re saying, ‘be cautious and be careful but live your life and stop panicking’.
“Everybody is panicking. And instead of panicking, we’re actually getting out there and working with doctors and health officials and the government to figure out how to keep the sport safe and how we can continue to put on events.”
The next major event is UFC 249 on April 18 where Khabib Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight title against Tony Ferguson, which White insists WILL happen.
The fight was due to take place in New York but will likely be moved, though it is not yet known where to.
“So, we had possibly a couple of different venues for that fight, including Nevada,” White explained. “So, now the whole Nevada things went down, so we’re looking for another venue.”
The only thing that will stop the UFC from putting on shows is a complete shutdown of the country.
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