ASSOCIATED PRESS / 2017
Max Holloway wore the featherweight title belt after defeating Jose Aldo at UFC 212 in June 2017.
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UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is reportedly putting a bow on plans for his next bout, which according to ESPN is a featherweight title tilt against Frankie Edgar in July.
The network’s Brett Okamoto reported Monday that the Waianae-born mixed martial artist, who sports a 20-4 record, will face Edgar (23-6-1) on July 27 in Edmonton atop the UFC 240 card.
The fight would mark a return to the 145-pound weight class for Holloway, who lost a unanimous decision last month to Dustin Poirier in UFC 236, a bout for which he moved up to the lightweight category in an attempt to double up on titles.
This would be the third scheduled faceoff between Holloway and Edgar — the first two were canceled as the fighters dealt with injuries. They were first set to meet in UFC 218 in December 2017, but Edgar, 37, suffered a facial injury while training. The pair tried again a few months later, targeting UFC 222, but Holloway, 27, suffered a leg injury while training.
Edgar’s last bout was also last month, a unanimous decision over Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night. The former lightweight champion has fought for the featherweight title twice before (UFC 156 and 200), losing to Jose Aldo both times. Holloway beat Aldo in title fights at UFC 212 and 218, when Aldo stepped in for the injured Edgar.
Attempts to reach the UFC for comment were not immediately returned.