Brian Ortega Confirms Offer to Face Max Holloway in December But Fight is Not Finalized
Brian Ortega hopes to fight for the UFC featherweight title in December but as of now the matchup against Max Holloway hasn’t been finalized.
This past weekend while attending the UFC Fight Night card in Nebraska, Ortega confirmed that he has been offered a fight against Holloway with the matchup most likely landing on the UFC 231 card in Toronto in December.
While Ortega seems to be on board for the date and location, sources say the fight isn’t finalized and there’s no confirmation that it will happen at UFC 231 just yet.
Still, Ortega remains hopeful that a deal can be struck that will have him face Holloway for the featherweight title later this year.
“Yeah, it’s true,” Ortega told reporters about the offer to face Holloway at UFC 231 as first reported by MMAJunkie. “We got the call. They offered us to fight in December. I said yes. I’m not too sure exactly where. I think they’re pushing for Toronto, so it’s just up in the air. December’s up in the air.
“I’m sure Max received the same call. I haven’t heard anything from his side yet. But it looks like it’s going to happen.”
As much as Ortega wants the fight to happen, the reality is Holloway’s health still seems to take precedent in this situation after what unfolded ahead of their last scheduled bout in July.
Prior to UFC 226, Holloway was taken to the hospital as a precaution after he exhibited what were described as ‘concussion like’ symptoms. Holloway was ultimately pulled off the card and sent to doctors for further treatment.
Unfortunately, doctors haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what happened to Holloway as he continues to recover from the incident in July.
Of course, Holloway has been champing at the bit to return to action so it’s entirely possibly that he’s pushing for the chance to fight in December but there’s no word yet if the matchup will actually happen or not.
For now, Ortega is patiently biding his time as the No. 1 contender as he awaits Holloway’s health to get back to 100-percent so they can meet with the featherweight title on the line.
