Jorge Masvidal has withdrawn from his bout with Leon Edwards, leaving the Brit without an opponent.
After years of back-and-forth and, of course, that infamous three piece and soda backstage incident, the two rivals were meant to finally lock horns inside the octagon at UFC 269.
It was shaping up to be one of the grudge matches of the year, but unfortunately UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell has now confirmed that Masvidal has pulled out, citing an undisclosed injury as his reasons.
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Now there is a frantic scramble to find Edwards a worthy opponent in what surely serves as the number one contender fight in the welterweight division.
Well, it seems UFC match-makers won't have to look too far with rising star Khamzat Chimaev wasting no time in putting his hand up to step in.
Upon hearing the news of Masvidal's late withdrawal, the Russian-born Swede tweeted a split image of himself alongside Edwards.
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"Let's go bro we do it," he said in the caption.
Clearly keen on a quick turnaround after his round 1 submission victory over Li Jingliang just a few days ago, Chimaev then turned his attention to more contenders in the 170-pound division.
He tweeted: "Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad you ready to fight guys? If Leon Edwards don't wanna fight with me I want to fight with you guys."
Despite Chimaev being one of the most feared fighters in the division, both Burns and Muhammad jumped at the opportunity to fight him.
Let’s go bro we do it @Leon_edwardsmma 👊🏼
Let’s go champ 🤪✊🏼
I’m always in for a fight!
Human wrecking ball Chimaev has seen his stocks skyrocket in 2021.
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His wins have been impressive to say the least, but it's his sheer desire to fight so frequently that has MMA fans eager to see him succeed.
That said, UFC president Dana White is wary of throwing him to the lions too quickly and admits he's still a way off from competing with the likes of Kamaru Usman and Co.
"You've got some guys out there talking about Khamzat Chimaev that he's ready for - he's had four fights in the UFC," White said at the UFC 268 post-fight press conference.
"I get it: The dude is one of the coolest, baddest things we've ever seen and the way he rips through people. But once you break into the top 10, top five - not even talking about Usman - it's a whole other game. He's a couple of fights away. If he can beat a couple of guys in the top 10, top five, then we'll see."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Jorge Masvidal, Khamzat Chimaev, Leon Edwards, UFC, Australia, MMA