MMAjunkie has reported that the UFC 231 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada has its main event when Max “Blessed” Holloway makes his return to action following a health scare that drove him out of the UFC 226 co-main event against Brian Ortega. The UFC will take another crack at it with Max Holloway now being deemed ready to compete. Bout agreements have yet to be signed and this reported main event is not yet official.
Should this contest be finalized, it will mark the 2018 debut of the featherweight champion. That debut would have been against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, with Holloway tapped to fill in for an injured Tony Ferguson, but weight-cutting issues prevented the fight from happening.
Max Holloway is currently the #4 ranked pound for pound fighter in the world, with a whopping 12 consecutive victories, including over names like Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Lamas, and Anthony Pettis. Holloway is also only the second man in the UFC to hold a victory over Jose Aldo, and the first with two victories over the Aldo, who many have considered arguably the greatest featherweight of all time. Holloway will luck to make it a lucky #13 at UFC 231 once the names have been put on the dotted line and he sets foot in the Octagon to face Brian Ortega.
Brian Ortega will be fighting for the second time this year, with his first appearance of the year earning him the shot against Holloway when he became the first man to knock out Frankie Edgar. Ortega is undefeated in his MMA career at 14-0, and holds wins over Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, Clay Guida, and others. As should be expected when a 27-year-old gets a title shot, a fight against the #4 ranked pound for pound fighter in the promotion would make for the biggest challenge in Ortega’s career, but the cool-as-a-cucumber Ortega has let it be known that he is more than ready for the opportunity.
Do you think Max Holloway will win his 13th straight fight and break the undefeated streak of Brian Ortega?
