Tag: UFC 222

T.J. Dillashaw Declines Cody Garbrandt Rematch at UFC 222

T.J. Dillashaw isn’t interested in defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title on just one month’s notice. The UFC is working on a new main event for their March 3 pay-per-view. UFC 222 was set to be headlined by a…

T.J. Dillashaw isn’t interested in defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title on just one month’s notice. The UFC is working on a new main event for their March 3 pay-per-view. UFC 222 was set to be headlined by a featherweight title defense between champion Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar. Holloway is sidelined with […]

Report: Two Huge Replacement Fights Targeted For UFC 222

Earlier today the UFC saw another high-profile title fight fall apart when it was announced featherweight champ Max Holloway had been forced out of his UFC 222 main event versus Frankie Edgar due to injury. The news was extra concerning given that UFC 222 had few other anticipated bouts on the card, but according to […]

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Earlier today the UFC saw another high-profile title fight fall apart when it was announced featherweight champ Max Holloway had been forced out of his UFC 222 main event versus Frankie Edgar due to injury.

The news was extra concerning given that UFC 222 had few other anticipated bouts on the card, but according to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC is working on making the card potentially even bigger by adding replacement bouts to the March 3 event from Las Vegas.

Apparently, the UFC is looking to book TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt II for the bantamweight in a rematch of their UFC 217 grudge match, while still giving Edgar to fight on the card against top contender Brian Ortega:

But after Dillashaw knocked out Garbrandt in November, rumors surfaced he was waiting for his oft-teased super fight with record-breaking flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, a fight that has been discussed for July’s UFC 226.

Helwani spoke to Dillashaw’s coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig, who reiterated they’re still aiming for “Mighty Mouse” because Garbrandt needs to earn a rematch:

Garbrandt fired back at Ludwig’s suggestion, presumably trying to goad Dillashaw into taking a rematch by suggesting he had been nearly out towards the end of the first round of their first bout, something that may be true but also remains a moot point considering Dillashaw came back to finish “No Love” in the second.

Regardless, Garbrandt quickly clapped back by saying he had accepted and the ball was in their camp’s court:

Nothing official has been announced by the promotion for UFC 222’s replacement main event, yet it appears something big is in the works.

Is a bantamweight title rematch the right fight to make? Does the UFC have another option?

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Max Holloway Injured, UFC 222 Title Bout With Frankie Edgar is Off

Max Holloway will not be defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title on March 3. Holloway was scheduled to put his 145-pound gold on the line against Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 222. The action was to take place in…

Max Holloway will not be defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title on March 3. Holloway was scheduled to put his 145-pound gold on the line against Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 222. The action was to take place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Those plans have now […]

Sources: Max Holloway Injured, Out Of UFC 222

This is why we can’t have nice things in MMA. Weeks after middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was forced out of his UFC 221 headliner versus Luke Rockhold with an undisclosed injury that was eventually revealed to be a serious staph infection, another high-profile UFC champ has reportedly been forced from an upcoming main event. According […]

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This is why we can’t have nice things in MMA.

Weeks after middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was forced out of his UFC 221 headliner versus Luke Rockhold with an undisclosed injury that was eventually revealed to be a serious staph infection, another high-profile UFC champ has reportedly been forced from an upcoming main event.

According to a report from ESPN.com, sources have revealed featherweight champ Max Holloway has suffered an injury that has left him unable to defend the title in his awaited match-up with longtime contender Frankie Edgar at March 3’s UFC 222.

The UFC has not officially pulled Holloway from the card but is expected to do so shortly according to the report.

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani also confirmed the report, revealing the details that Holloway suffered a leg injury in training.

Officials are supposedly looking for a replacement bout to headline the otherwise thin card, which drew a heavy amount of vitriol online for its Andrei Arlovski vs. Stefan Struve co-main event.

Holloway vs. Edgar was supposed to go down at December’s UFC 218 from Detroit, but an injury to Edgar forced him out and he was replaced by longtime former champion Jose Aldo, whom Holloway stopped for the second time in a year in his first official title defense.

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Pic: The UFC 222 Poster Is Out & Fans Are Going Nuts

Seeking to extend his 12-fight win streak, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will face former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the main event of March 3’s UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight is a rebooking of their previously-scheduled match in the main event of December 2’s UFC 218, where Holloway […]

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Seeking to extend his 12-fight win streak, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will face former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the main event of March 3’s UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight is a rebooking of their previously-scheduled match in the main event of December 2’s UFC 218, where Holloway stopped late replacement Jose Aldo, the longtime champion whom he originally won the belt from last June, after Edgar suffered an orbital injury in training and was forced to pull out.

This week the UFC released the official fight poster for the marquee featherweight main event but based on the reaction from fans, it’s not that fight that’s getting all of the publicity (and heat) on social media. No, the fight directly below Holloway vs. Edgar, a Stefan Struve vs. Andrei Arlovski heavyweight co-main event, is the one that’s causing a minor uprising.

And it may be tough to blame the fans, because while Struve vs. Arlovski is certainly a heavyweight throwdown that could not only be exciting but end with a huge knockout, the fight isn’t exactly a pay-per-view-worthy co-main event, at least not in the eyes of many.

What’s more, the booking comes during a time when the promotion has been accused of watering down cards to fill the packed, slogging schedule which many fans have said is sapping their commitment to MMA, something that probably wasn’t enhanced by the UFC recently raising prices for pay-per-view shows. PPV sales were lower than they had been in years throughout 2017 as well, with a precipitous dropoff from the banner 2016 coming just when new owners Endeavor had taken over control of the UFC.

So while fans believed Struve vs. Arlovski was a great bout for a Fight Night or Fight Pass-aired card, putting it in the co-main event of a numbered and costly pay-per-view event has the UFC faithful offering some stiff opinions on the matter. Check it out right here and let us know yours:

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Live Stream: UFC’s 25th Anniversary Presser Today (Jan. 19) at 5 p.m. ET

Today (Jan. 19), we will finally know if Conor McGregor is being stripped of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title. The UFC is set to roll out a press conference as part of its 25th Anniversary series. The two events being hyped up…

Today (Jan. 19), we will finally know if Conor McGregor is being stripped of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title. The UFC is set to roll out a press conference as part of its 25th Anniversary series. The two events being hyped up are UFC 222 and UFC 223. UFC 222 takes place on […]