The highly anticipated grudge match between [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] and [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] will have to wait.
On Wednesday, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell announced Masvidal’s withdrawal from UFC 269 through broadcast partner ESPN and cited an undisclosed injury as the reason for the change to the Dec. 11 event.
An additional person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the withdrawal to MMA Junkie on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous.
With Masvidal (35-15 MMA, 12-8 UFC) out, it’s unclear whether or not Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) will remain on the card against a different opponent or be removed.
Masvidal, 36, looked to rebound from two title opportunity losses against Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 and UFC 261. He racked up three consecutive wins against Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz to earn his initial shot at the title, which was taken on days’ notice.
[lawrence-related id=1602600,1587388]
Edwards, 30, has been on a tear through the welterweight division since losing to current champion Usman in 2015. The Jamaica-born U.K. fighter has secured nine victories without a loss, the second-longest streak in the division behind the champion. Most recently, Edwards defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 263 by unanimous decision.
The beef between Edwards and Masvidal stems from a March 2019 incident backstage in London. After Edwards chirped Masvidal during a post-fight interview, the two engaged in an altercation. Masvidal hit and bloodied Edwards with a combination of punches, which led him to coining the phrase “three-piece and a soda.”
UFC 269 takes place Saturday, Dec. 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on
With the change, the UFC 269 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
- Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena – for women’s bantamweight title
- Leon Edwards vs. TBA
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Kai Kara-France
- Sean O’Malley vs. Raulian Paiva
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Dominick Cruz vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Josh Emmett vs. Dan Ige
- Dricus Du Plessis vs. Andre Muniz
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Miranda Maverick
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
- Ryan Hall vs. Darrick Minner
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gillian Robertson
- Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley
- Bruno Silva vs. Jordan Wright
[vertical-gallery id=391736]