A quick glance at Max Holloway's swollen foot confirms he definitely won't be fighting on February 11.
After Conor McGregor relinquished the UFC featherweight title, it was assumed that the state of the 145 lb division would become a lot clearer. It was thought that the weight class would no longer have a champion who showed no interest in defending his belt while the interim title fight at UFC 206 would ensure there would be no doubts over what the next title fight would be.
Interim champion Jose Aldo was promoted and given his old belt back while finishing Anthony Pettis in Toronto saw Max Holloway become the new interim champion, setting up a title unification bout that looked tailor-made for the main event of UFC 208 in Brooklyn on February 11. Aldo was sure this would be the magical date for his follow-up fight to that sensational victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 200. Even before he knew who he would be facing, he
thought that date was locked in.
However, the inevitability of injuries makes forward planning one of the most tiresome and pointless exercises the UFC matchmakers can engage in. Without skipping a beat, Murphy's Law reared its ugly head and Holloway was ruled out of the bout through injury before it was even booked. His management team confirmed the news on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOSV1MiBx3D/
Remarkably, even though Conor McGregor has seemingly cut his ties with the 145 lb division, he still managed to have an impact on this fight falling through. The injury to Holloway's foot was actually the same one he suffered during his decision loss to the Notorious in Boston in 2013.
That decision loss marked Holloway's last defeat inside the Octagon before he racked up 10 wins on the bounce en route to claiming the interim strap. It also marked the first time anyone had taken McGregor the distance inside the UFC. McGregor tore his ACL in the same fight, an injury which forced him to sit on the sidelines for 10 months.
https://twitter.com/BlessedMMA/status/368925750377717760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
With Holloway needing more time to recover, Aldo has already set his sights on the interim lightweight title. Scarface claims that he has been offered to fight for the belt after the scheduled fight with Holloway fell through.
