The UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway takes on Brian Ortega at UFC 226. This bout has been coined as the most exciting championship fight in the featherweight division since Conor McGregor faced Jose Aldo at UFC 194.
UFC 226 is headlined by a superfight between UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, but Max Holloway believes that this is not the only superfight on the card.
Max Holloway spoke to Ariel Helwani on the first instalment of his new ESPN MMA Show. He spoke about his upcoming fight with Brian Ortega and the potential of this bout being a superfight.
“When you look at this fight, it’s amazing and it’s huge,” Holloway said,“It’s [the first] fight in almost ten years that doesn’t have the name, a title fight at this weight class, that doesn’t have the name Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, even a [Chad] Mendes or even a McGregor. So I think this fight is huge for the division, me and Ortega are young cats. He’s got a great team, I’ve got a great team, but the blessed is still blessed. So he’s gonna see me July 7.”
Ariel Helwani also asked Holloway where he would put Brian Ortega in comparison to some of the opponents that he has faced before in his MMA career.
“We about to find out on July 7, don’t miss it, live on pay-per-view,” Holloway said. “You guys are about to see a superfight and we’re not only talking about the main event there. The superfight is a co-main event too, so this is a super card, period.”
Brian Ortega shocked the MMA world when he became the first person in history to finish UFC legend Frankie Edgar, and he did so with a first-round knockout. Styles make fights and this is a perfect example of that. Brian Ortega is an elite grappler, who is dangerous from every possible position. The way that he is able to clamp down on his opponents and finish them is truly frightening, but Holloway is known for his well rounded mixed martial arts game. His superb takedown defence and his ability to wear down his opponents with swift combinations and intense pressure make him equipped to deal with any opponent.
Ortega has made a name for himself within the MMA community after dispatching of Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson with relative ease. Holloway spoke to Ariel Helwani about Ortega’s MMA rise.
“I’m impressed,” Holloway said. “Anybody who gets in a position to fight for a title, I’ll be impressed. Anybody who can make that walk to the Octagon, I’m impressed with. So from him making that walk, all the way to him being in title contention — that’s impressive stuff, man. This is the best of the best. The UFC is the best of the best, and we’ll get to find out on July 7 what he’s all about.”
UFC 226 is an incredibly stacked card and Max Holloway vs Brian Ortega is certainly one of the marquee matchups.
UFC 226 takes place on July 7, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Who will come out on top in this UFC featherweight title matchup?
