UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad explained

UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
Promotion:Ultimate Fighting Championship
Venue:UFC Apex
City:Enterprise, Nevada, United States
Attendance:None (behind closed doors)[1]
Previousevent:UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya

UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad (also known as UFC Fight Night 187, UFC on ESPN+ 45 and UFC Vegas 21) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 13, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.[2] [3]

Background

A welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev was expected to serve as the main event.[4] The pairing has been scheduled as headliner and cancelled on two previous occasions due to COVID-19 related issues affecting both fighters. First at in December 2020, and again at in January 2021.[5] [6] [7] On February 11, the fight was cancelled a third time as it was announced that Chimaev was still suffering from lingering effects of COVID-19 and pulled out of the fight.[8] Edwards faced Belal Muhammad instead.[9]

A bantamweight bout between Irwin Rivera and Ray Rodriguez was scheduled for the event.[10] However, on January 7, news surfaced that Rivera was arrested for two counts of attempted murder in Palm Beach County, Florida after he allegedly stabbed his two sisters. He is currently being held in the Palm Beach County jail without bail.[11] He was replaced by Rani Yahya.[12]

Tagir Ulanbekov and returning veteran Matheus Nicolau were expected to meet in a flyweight bout at UFC 257, but Ulanbekov withdrew in late December due to undisclosed reasons.[13] The pairing was eventually rescheduled for this event.[14] However, Ulanbekov pulled out once again and was replaced by former Rizin FF Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape.[15]

A heavyweight bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane was originally scheduled for this event.[16] However, they were moved to headline after the original main event between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challenger Dominick Reyes and former Rizin Light Heavyweight Champion Jiří Procházka was cancelled due to undisclosed reasons.[17]

Guram Kutateladze was expected to face Don Madge in a lightweight bout at the event.[18] However, Kutateladze pulled out in early February due to a knee injury.[19] He was replaced by Nasrat Haqparast.[20] In turn, Madge pulled out on March 6 due to visa issues.[21] Haqparast eventually faced promotional newcomer Rafa García.[22]

lightweight winner Ryan Hall was expected to face Dan Ige in a featherweight bout at the event.[23] However, Hall pulled out of the fight on February 11 due to undisclosed reasons.[24] Ige faced Gavin Tucker instead.[25]

Misha Cirkunov was expected to face Ryan Spann in a light heavyweight bout at . However, Cirkunov pulled out due to an injury.[26] The fight took place at this event.[27]

Charles Jourdain was expected to face Steve Garcia in a featherweight bout at the event.[28] However, Garcia withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Marcelo Rojo.[29]

A women's strawweight rematch between former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Angela Hill and Ashley Yoder was expected to take place at .[30] The two met before at The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale in July 2017, with Hill winning via unanimous decision.[31] Their second meeting was postponed on the day of that event, as it was announced that one of Yoder's cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. The bout took place at this card.[32]

A featherweight bout between Ricardo Ramos and Zubaira Tukhugov was expected to take place during the preliminary portion of the event.[33] A week before the event, Tukhugov pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.[34] Promotion officials elected to remove Ramos from the card entirely and he will be rescheduled for a future event.[35]

A heavyweight bout between Ben Rothwell and Philipe Lins was expected to take place at the event.[36] However, during the week leading up to the event the bout was removed from the card due to undisclosed reasons. The pairing is expected to remain intact and rescheduled for .[37]

Results

[38]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[39]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UFC Fight Night 187 post-event facts: A historic card with two no contests. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Mike Bohn. 2021-03-14. 2021-03-14.
  2. Web site: UFC announces two upcoming main-events. ufc.com. Thomas Gerbasi. 2021-01-20. 2021-01-20.
  3. Web site: Nevada Athletic Commission approves four UFC events for March in Las Vegas. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Nolan King. 2021-02-09. 2021-02-09.
  4. Web site: Dana White confirms Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev rebooked for March 13 main event. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Simon Head and John Morgan. 2021-01-13. 2021-01-13.
  5. Web site: Sources: Leon Edwards-Khamzat Chimaev fight off after Edwards tests positive for COVID-19. espn.com. Ariel Helwani. 2020-12-01. 2020-12-22.
  6. Web site: COVID-19 complications led to Khamzat Chimaev's withdrawal from Leon Edwards bout. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Danny Segura. 2020-12-30. 2020-12-30.
  7. Web site: Leon Edwards-Khamzat Chimaev pushed back; Neil Magny-Michael Chiesa new Jan. 20 main event. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Staff. 2020-12-30. 2020-12-31.
  8. Web site: Khamzat Chimaev out against Leon Edwards due to COVID-19, Dana White says. espn.com. Brett Okamoto. 2021-02-11. 2021-02-11.
  9. Web site: Belal Muhammad steps up, agrees to Leon Edwards fight for UFC main event on March 13. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Nolan King and Farah Hannoun. 2021-02-18. 2021-02-18.
  10. Web site: Irwin Rivera vs. Ray Rodriguez booked for UFC Fight Night on March 13. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Farah Hannoun and Nolan King. 2020-12-08. 2021-01-08.
  11. Web site: UFC fighter Irwin Rivera jailed on charges of first-degree premeditated murder. mmafighting.com. Steven Marrocco. 2021-01-07. 2021-01-07.
  12. Web site: UFC Fight Night: Ray Rodriguez vs. Rani Yahya set for UFC's March 13 card. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Simon Head. 2021-01-23. 2021-01-24.
  13. Web site: Matheus Nicolau re-signs with UFC, needs new opponent for UFC 257 after Tagir Ulanbekov withdraws. mmafighting.com. Guilherme Cruz. 2020-12-19. 2020-12-21.
  14. Web site: Ultimate sends Matheus Nicolau vs. Tagir Ulanbekov to March 13. globoesporte.globo.com. Raphael Marinho. 2021-01-12. 2021-01-13.
  15. Web site: Manel Kape takes short notice match against Matheus Nicolau on March 13. mmadna.nl. Staff. 2021-03-04. 2021-03-04.
  16. Web site: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Cyril Gane joins UFC Fight Night lineup on March 13. mmamania.com. Jesse Holland. 2021-01-13. 2021-01-30.
  17. Web site: Reyes vs. Prochazka out, Rozenstruik vs. Gane in as UFC Fight Night headliner for Feb. 27. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Alexander Mookie. 2021-01-30. 2021-01-30.
  18. Web site: Guram Kutateladze announced to face Don Madge on Khamzat Chimaev vs Leon Edwards card. essentiallysports.com. Ishaan Bhattacharya. 2021-01-17. 2021-02-08.
  19. Web site: Guram Kutateladze says he's out of March 13 UFC fight vs. Don Madge due to knee injury. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Farah Hannoun. 2021-02-08. 2021-02-08.
  20. Web site: Nasrat Haqparast takes short notice match against Don Madge on March 13. mmadna.nl. Staff. 2021-02-11. 2021-02-11.
  21. Web site: Don Madge withdraws from UFC Fight Night 187 vs. Nasrat Haqparast due to visa issues. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Farah Hannoun. 2021-03-06. 2021-03-06.
  22. Web site: UFC Vegas 21: Rafa Garcia steps in to face Nasrat Haqparast. cagesidepress.com. Gabriel Gonzalez. 2021-03-09. 2021-03-09.
  23. Web site: Dan Ige, Ryan Hall booked for UFC Fight Night on March 13. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Danny Segura. 2021-01-14. 2021-01-14.
  24. Web site: Ryan Hall out of fight vs. Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night on March 13. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Mike Bohn and Farah Hannoun. 2021-02-11. 2021-02-11.
  25. Web site: With Ryan Hall out, Gavin Tucker steps in to fight Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night 187. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Nolan King. 2021-02-22. 2021-02-22.
  26. Web site: Updates to December 19 UFC Fight Night. ufc.com. Staff. 2020-12-05. 2020-12-05.
  27. Web site: Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann re-booked for March 13 UFC card. mmafighting.com. Alexander K. Lee. 2021-02-18. 2021-02-18.
  28. Web site: UFC: Charles Jourdain vs. Steve Garcia announced for March 13. cagesidepress.com. Jay Anderson. 2021-02-18. 2021-02-24.
  29. Web site: With Steve Garcia out, Charles Jourdain now meets Marcelo Rojo at UFC Vegas 21. mmafighting.com. Mike Heck. 2021-02-24. 2021-02-24.
  30. Web site: Angela Hill vs. Ashley Yoder late addition to UFC Fight Night 186. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Nolan King. 2021-02-20. 2021-02-27.
  31. Web site: TUF 25 Finale results: Angela Hill's standup game shines in unanimous win over Ashley Yoder. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Simon Samano. 2017-07-07. 2021-02-27.
  32. Web site: Angela Hill vs. Ashley Yoder 2 postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, moved to UFC Vegas 21. mmafighting.com. Alexander K. Lee. 2021-02-27. 2021-02-27.
  33. Web site: UFC: Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Ricardo Ramos booked for March 13. cagesidepress.com. Jay Anderson. 2021-01-18. 2021-03-06.
  34. Web site: 'Carcacinha' is without an opponent and his participation in UFC Vegas 21 is threatened. espn.com.br. Staff. 2021-03-04. 2021-03-06.
  35. Web site: With no opponent available, Ricardo Ramos pulled from UFC Vegas 21. mmafighting.com. Guilherme Cruz. 2021-03-09. 2021-03-09.
  36. Web site: Ben Rothwell takes on Philipe Lins at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13. sherdog.com. Jay Pettry. 2021-01-29. 2021-03-09.
  37. Web site: Ben Rothwell vs. Philipe Lins fight at UFC Vegas 21 postponed. mmafighting.com. Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin. 2021-03-09. 2021-03-09.
  38. Web site: UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad. 5 January 2021 . Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2021-01-20.
  39. Web site: UFC Vegas 21 post-fight bonuses: Dan Ige quickly starches Gavin Tucker. bloodyelbow.com. Stephie Haynes. 2021-03-13. 2021-03-14.

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