Edwards, Woodley UFC fight called off

Next weekend’s UFC welterweight fight between Brit Leon Edwards and Tyron Woodley is off.

Edwards made the announcement on his Instagram account on Sunday.

The fight originally was scheduled for March 21 in London. But once travel bans were extended between the two countries on Saturday amid the coronavirus pandemic, UFC president Dana White said the fight card would go on at another venue in the U. S. That venue has yet to be secured.

“Last night I went to sleep still with some hope that UFC London would continue next week,” Edwards wrote on Instagram.

“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.”

Edwards said the cancellation was the right thing to do. He added he wants to rebook the fight “when it is safe to do so, so Tyron and I can put on the show that you all deserve.”

ESPN’S Ariel Helwani reported Sunday that UFC put out a call for approved fighters who might be interested in a U. S.- based fight next weekend since there would be spots to fill for the relocated event.

Helwani said that tribal lands in Alabama or California were under consideration for a location since they did not have to follow rules of state commissions, which would make it easier to pull off the event with timing short.

UFC matches were held as scheduled Saturday in Brazil in an empty arena out of coronavirus fears.