Although next weekend's UFC event is still up in the air, the original main event -- Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards -- definitely will not take place.
After the UFC was forced to cancel the March 21 card in London and move it to a yet-to-be-determined location in the United States, Edwards opted not to fly to America amid the spread of the coronavirus and the travel bans implemented by the United States and United Kingdom. With no guarantee where the event would take place, no guarantee that he'd be able to get a return flight and with some of his cornermen not having the proper documentation to fly at this time, the call was made for Edwards to stay home.
Edwards discussed the situation on social media.
As of now, Woodley's involvement on the card is still up in the air. The UFC has insisted it is putting on this event next weekend, though it has yet to tell fighters where it will take place. Tribal lands in California and Alabama have been discussed, but nothing has been decided. If a promotion holds an event on tribal land, it doesn't have to adhere to the rules of a state commission, so it would in theory prove easier to stage the event.
The UFC is working on building a new card for Saturday because the majority of the fighters scheduled to compete on the London card are based overseas and are unable to fly to America at this time.
On Sunday, the UFC sent this message to MMA managers and representatives:
"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. If you have any UFC vets or fighters ready for UFC on a week's notice, please let me know. DO NOT email me about anyone who is not a US CITIZEN or does not have A CURRENT P1 VISA."
Colby Covington expressed an interest via social media in filling in to fight Woodley once news broke that Edwards was out. He tweeted that he let the UFC know he was available.
Woodley told ESPN that he would be interested in fighting Covington, who hasn't fought since injuring his jaw in a TKO loss on Dec. 14 in his bid for Kamaru Usman's welterweight belt.
Woodley later said Covington is chasing attention.
"He put all this s--- on the internet about him wanting to fight me, and I said 'yes' immediately," Woodley said on his Instagram post. "That's the fight that made the most sense anyway. That's the fight I was supposed to get before Leon Edwards and they said [Covington] couldn't fight because of his jaw. The second they booked the fight with me and Leon, now all of a sudden his jaw is healthy and he could fight.
"He declined me four times, so I don't even want to talk about Colby. ... Colby Covington is my No. 1 choice, my No. 1 choice. If I could fight him, Lord, there is a heaven above."
Gilbert Burns, who beat Demian Maia via first-round TKO this past Saturday, also expressed interest in fighting Woodley.
The Woodley fight was a massive opportunity for Edwards to assert himself as the top contender in the welterweight division. He has won eight in a row, and Woodley is the former champion at 170 pounds.