UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will not defend his title “anytime soon” according to UFC President Dana White.
At a pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s UFC 226 pay-per-view, White said they still don’t know what caused Holloway to make two trips to the hospital in three days, forcing the cancellation of his title defense against Brian Ortega that was slated for the co-main event.
Holloway’s management team released a statement on Wednesday saying Holloway was suffering from concussion-like symptoms. He spent Monday night in the hospital and was cleared Tuesday before being readmitted on Wednesday.
“It’s a weird situation,” White said. “There’s a couple of different people who think it’s concussion related and some think it’s weight-cut related. They haven’t really gotten down to the bottom of what it is.
“We’re going to continue to try to figure out what’s wrong with Max Holloway. There’s no way this guy is going to fight anytime soon.”
Holloway has been pulled from three scheduled fights this year, including two the week of the fight. He had to pull out of a featherweight title defense against Frankie Edgar in March due to an ankle injury. He agreed to step up in weight to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov on six days’ notice in April for the vacant 155-pound title but was pulled from the fight by doctors with an hour to go to make weight.
Holloway attempted to cut 30 pounds in less than a week and was 3 pounds shy of the 155-pound limit when doctors deemed him unfit to fight.
“I got depressed,” Holloway told the Star-Advertiser two weeks ago before leaving for Las Vegas. “I got two fights taken away from me from doctors.
“People told me I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t even my choice. If I had my choice I would have tried to fight through the pain. The ankle, whatever. Even the weight — we was right there. They pretty much told me make weight and we’re still not going to clear you.”
White emphasized that they will take time before allowing Holloway back into the cage. Holloway hasn’t fought since a third-round TKO of Jose Aldo in December.
“He needs to go to the Mayo Clinic or one of those type of places,” White said. “We will take care of Max Holloway. He will go through every type of testing there is until we know what’s wrong with him.”
The UFC announced Thursday that Ortega will not fight on the card.
Jeremy Stephens was offered as a replacement for Holloway for an interim belt, but Ortega declined the fight.
A welterweight bout between Paul Felder and Mike Perry has been moved up from the undercard to open the pay-per-view telecast.
Felder stepped in for Makaha’s Yancy Medeiros, who pulled out of the fight against Perry last week with a rib injury. It ultimately cost Medeiros an opportunity to fight on the main card with Holloway’s fight getting canceled.
Tavares and Ostovich make weight
Waiakea alumnus Brad Tavares (18-5, 12-4) made weight at 186 pounds on Thursday for his main event fight at middleweight against Israel Adesanya (13-0, 2-0) at The Ultimate Fighter Finale at the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas tonight.
Adesanya also weighed 186 pounds. Fighters are allowed to weigh up to a pound over for non-title fights.
Moanalua alumna Rachael Ostovich (4-3, 1-0) tipped the scales at 1251⁄2 pounds for her flyweight bout against Montana De La Rosa (8-4, 1-0), who was the same weight.
That fight will be one of the first three to air on the Fox Sports 1 broadcast beginning at 2 p.m.
Tavares’ headliner should air at approximately 6:30 p.m.
