The bad news is that Irish MMA sensation Conor McGregor will no longer face English prospect Andy Ogle this August in Boston as originally scheduled. The good news is McGregor will now face an American prospect in striker Max Holloway, who might be an even higher-octane foil.
UFC officials confirmed to website MMA Fighting Wednesday that Ogle had been forced to pull out of the August 17 UFC on Fox Sports 1: 1 event because of an injury. A native of Sunderland, England, the 24-year-old Ogle (9-2) was an interesting foil for McGregor, especially in Boston, a city with deep Irish roots.
But the addition of the UFC’s youngest fighter in 21-year-old Holloway (7-2) may increase the potential for fireworks. Holloway and McGregor are unabashed strikers first and foremost, with a combined 14 knockout victories to their names.
A 24-year-old featherweight, McGregor (13-2) took the UFC by storm in April with a first-round knockout of Marcus Brimage. McGregor, who simultaneously held the featherweight and lightweight titles in Great Britain’s venerable Cage Warriors promotion before heading to the UFC, will attempt to make it two for two inside the Octagon.
Holloway is 3-2 in the UFC and is coming off his first loss in four fights, a split-decision defeat to Dennis Bermudez in May. The prolific Holloway fought four times in 2012, going 3-1 on the year. This is his second fight of 2013.
The first UFC on Fox Sports 1 card is scheduled to be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Chael Sonnen and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The card’s co-main event pits two powerful heavyweights against each other when Alistair Overeem takes on Travis Browne.
The event will air on Fox Sports 1, the Fox network’s new sports-oriented channel, which is launching the same day as the UFC event in Boston.
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