UFC’s final pay-per-view event of 2021 is expected to undergo some major changes.
A welterweight bout between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards is expected to join UFC’s December 11th lineup, per a report from Ariel Helwani.
On the other hand, the event may lose a fight between UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno and former titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo – as that fight is now being targeted for January 22nd.
Neither of the changes has been finalized yet, although the welterweight contest has reportedly been agreed upon at least. Should the changes become official, they would affect UFC 269 – which does not have a confirmed location at the moment.
Masvidal and Edwards have met in the past, just not under MMA rules. The duo notoriously clashed backstage at a UFC event in 2019, getting into a physical confrontation during an interview.
Masvidal’s next appearance in the cage will see him appear for the first time since 2019 in a non-title scenario. His last two fights have come against UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman, who beat him in July 2020 and April 2021 respectively.
Edwards has been on a climb up the welterweight division since 2016. While he has gone unbeaten in his last nine, he has only fought twice since 2019 – with one of those bouts being a no contest outcome.
Edwards picked up his first victory in nearly two years in June, going five rounds against Nate Diaz to defeat him via unanimous decision.
With the departure of a flyweight title bout, UFC’s late 2021 card would still have two title fights in the lineup. Here’s a look at the updated card:
Bout 9: Charles Oliveira (31-8) vs. Dustin Poirier (28-6) (UFC Lightweight Championship)
Bout 8: Amanda Nunes (21-4) vs. Julianna Pena (10-4) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 7: Kai Kara-France (22-9) vs. Cody Garbrandt (12-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Randy Costa (6-2) vs. Tony Kelley (7-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Dricus Du Plessis (16-2) vs. Andre Muniz (21-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 4: Darrick Minner (26-12) vs. Ryan Hall (8-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Pedro Munghoz (19-6) vs. Dominick Cruz (23-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Sean O’Malley (14-1) vs. Raulian Paiva (21-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Leon Edwards (19-3) vs. Jorge Masvidal (35-15) (Welterweight)
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