Due to extenuating circumstances related to COVID-19, the December 19 welterweight main event of Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev will be rescheduled to January. The new five-round main event will be a matchup of top ranked welterweights Stephen Thompson (No. 5) vs. Geoff Neal (No. 11). A former two-time title challenger, Thompson is making his first appearance since his Fight-of-the-Night victory over Vicente Luque last November. Neal is riding a seven-fight win streak, five coming by knockout.
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Also, as a result of a positive COVID-19 test for Alexandre Pantoja, his flyweight bout with newcomer Manel Kape will be rescheduled to a later date. Additionally, the light heavyweight bout between Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann will be postponed to a future date due to an injury to Cirkunov.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: THOMPSON vs. NEAL will take place Saturday, December 19 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off on ESPN+ starting at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.
