With Max Holloway out of UFC 222, the UFC is scrambling to find a new headliner.
The UFC got some very bad news earlier this morning, with UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway having to bow out of his UFC 222 title defense against Frankie Edgar on March 3rd. That bout was obviously the centerpiece of the card and without it, the event isn’t PPV-worthy. So as expected, the promotion is quickly looking to set a new headliner with a month to go.
According to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, they have a plan in place for Edgar – a possible bout with fellow featherweight contender Brian Ortega. They would also like a bantamweight title rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt:
Not finalized, but the current plan is Edgar vs. Ortega in a non-title fight on March 3. And if that gets done, then they’d hope to have a new title fight (TJ vs. Cody 2 has been discussed) as the headliner. Still fluid at the moment. Developing.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 3, 2018
There’s a small problem with the latter fight though – it appears Dillashaw still has his sights set on a fight with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson instead:
Just spoke to @TJDillashaw’s head coach @DUANEBANGCOM on the possibility of Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 happening in March. His response: “We want DJ. Cody needs to earn a rematch first.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 3, 2018
Of course, once Garbrandt got wind of that he went onto social media and called out Dillashaw and Duane Ludwig:
Hey bang! Your fighter needed help to the stool after round one! You know what it is! Lighting doesn’t strike twice, take the fucking fight bitchass mfers! I accepted! Balls in your court. @TJDillashaw
— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) February 3, 2018
A bout between Edgar (22-5-1, 16-5-1 UFC), currently the number two contender at 145, and Ortega (13-0, 1 NC, 5-0, 1 NC UFC, who sits at three, would certainly be intriguing and might be good enough to headline a Fight Night or Fox card. But it likely doesn’t have the name value to headline a PPV, so they’re going to need to come up with something else if Dillashaw digs his heels in.
We should find out in the next few days what the promotion has in store for March 3rd in Vegas.