Leon Edwards Reveals UFC London Main Event Against Tyron Woodley is Cancelled

Dana White is intent on keeping the UFC operating as if nothing is going wrong amid the coronavirus pandemic, but it appears that mixed martial artists scheduled to enter the Octagon in the coming weeks are voluntarily taking themselves out of action to prevent spreading or contracting COVID-19.

Leon Edwards announced that he is taking himself out of the upcoming UFC clash against Tyron Woodley. The ranked welterweight clash was originally supposed to headline March 22nd's Fight Night in London before White looked into relocating the event, leading Edwards to withdraw.

This announcement comes just one day after UFC Fight Night in Brasilia, in which Charles Oliveira defeated Kevin Lee in the main event before an empty arena. The move to hold the event as planned was highly criticized, as nearly every other major sports league operating in the United States has suspended operations in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Hopefully, the Edwards-Woodley bout happens at a later date, as the winner would have a strong claim at a 170-pound title shot against chamion Kamaru Usman. Until then, however, public health and safety absolutely must come first.

White might be determined to keep UFC running and bask in the ratings success by virtue of being the only show in town, but his own fighters appear to be taking matters into their own hands as they refuse to get in the Octagon.

If more follow suit, White could be forced to rethink his position.