Max Holloway to defend belt against Brian Ortega in stacked UFC 226 event
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Max Holloway, stands in front of the state flag of Hawaii, as he prepares to fight Jose Aldo of Brazil during a UFC 218 featherweight mixed martial arts bout.
Max Holloway will defend his featherweight world title against Brian Ortega at UFC 226 on July 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the UFC announced this evening.
Holloway (19-3, 5-3 UFC) will make the second defense of his 145-pound title he won last year with a third-round TKO of Jose Aldo.
Holloway had been booked for two fights this year — against Frankie Edgar in March and Khabib Nurmagomedov earlier this month — but had to pull out of the Edgar fight with an injury. He was pulled from the Nurmagomedov fight 24 hours prior after doctors determined he couldn’t safely make the 155-pound weight limit.
Ortega (14-0, 6-0) filled in for Holloway against Edgar and became the first fighter to stop Edgar when he knocked him out in the first round.
Ortega has won all six of his UFC fights by either TKO or submission.
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will fight light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 226, and Makaha’s Yancy Medeiros is booked for a welterweight fight against Mike Perry.
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It will be available on pay-per-view.
