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03rd Feb 2018

Max Holloway out of UFC 222 headliner with injury

Reap what you sow

Ben Kiely

You may need to take a seat while we tell you about Max Holloway.

Undisputed UFC featherweight champion is injured and unable to headline UFC 222. ‘Blessed’ was scheduled to defend his title against former lightweight king Frankie Edgar in the Las Vegas event. ESPN were forced to report the news and several reports have confirmed that he has suffered a leg injury.

This marks the second time a title fight between the two top 145 lbers has fallen through. They were scheduled to fight at UFC 218 on December 2, but Edgar was forced out with an injury. ‘The Answer’ was replaced by Jose Aldo, who was comprehensively finished by Holloway in the rematch.

The promotion are supposedly already looking for a replacement main event. Looking down the card, it’s easy to see why.

Max Holloway

If they can’t find a decent replacement, this card is pretty much fucked.

This new policy of creating megacards with two or three championship fights could blow up in the promotion’s faces. UFC 222 had a fantastic main event with a very thin undercard. Meanwhile, they are reportedly trying to book three champion vs champion superfights for international fight week.

There simply isn’t enough bankable stars on the roster to continue this practice. We’ll have to wait and see how the UFC manages to save this one.