The showdown between UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway and top contender Brian Ortega at UFC 226 on Saturday in Las Vegas will not push through.
In a statement, Holloway's camp said he will not be able to defend his title against Ortega as he's suffering from concussion-like symptoms. According to Brian Butler-Au, the champion's manager, Holloway was admitted to a local hospital on Monday.
"He was showing concussion like symptoms before he even started his weight cut and was rushed to the ER on Monday where they admitted him overnight," Holloway's camp says in a statement.
After his initial scans came out okay, Holloway was released from the hospital, so he insisted on pushing through with the fight. The champion showed some improvements, but he was still showing concussion-like symptoms.
"After open workouts he crashed and was very hard to wake up, when he did he had flashing vision and slurred speech," Holloway's camp said.
This was the third time this year that Holloway was pulled out from a fight heading into a major card. At UFC 222, Holloway withdrew from his title defense against Frankie Edgar because of a leg injury.
In UFC 223, Holloway agreed to face Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he pulled out one day before the bout as he had trouble making weight.
No Replacement Yet For Holloway
According to Rener Gracie, Ortega's coach, the UFC has yet to contact them about a possible replacement for Holloway. Gracie also clarified that they will not be interested to fight at UFC 226 if it will not be a title bout. Also, it has yet to be known if UFC will reschedule the bout at a later date.
Holloway snatched the featherweight title from Anthony Pettis via a 3rd round technical knockout win at UFC 206 on December 10, 2016. After that, he defended the title twice against Jose Aldo at UFC 212 and 218. Holloway has a record of 19-3, 15-3 with UFC.
Ortega has a perfect 13-0 record, including impressive victories over Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, and Renato Molcano.
UFC Suffering From Mishaps Before Pay-Per-View Events
Recently, the UFC has suffered several setbacks heading into their last pay-per-view events. At UFC 225, Yoel Romero failed to make weight for his bout against middleweight champ Robert Whittaker, making it a non-title affair.
At UFC 223, Tony Ferguson pulled out from his bout against Nurmagomedov after he suffered a freak knee injury. At UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, Whittaker withdrew from his bout against Luke Rockhold due to illness.
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