One of the best fights this weekend has been cancelled, and that’s the basis of today’s MMA odds and ends, although I will also give my thoughts on a new fight that will take place later this summer.
UFC 226’s Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega Cancelled
Some horrible news to report here as Max Holloway is out with a concussion and his fight against Brian Ortega, which was set as the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC 226 card, has been cancelled as a result. The news was first reported by Izi Garcia of MMA-Today and later confirmed by Ariel Helwani of ESPN, who received a statement from Holloway. According to Holloway’s team, he has been experiencing concussion-like symptoms for about a week now and after he began his weight cut the symptoms worssened and he was admitted to the hospital overnight on Monday. Obviously, Holloway’s health is of the utmost importance and th UFC absolutely made the right call cancelling the fight. Thus far, the UFC has not scheduled a replacement opponent for Ortega, and with the fight just two days away it’s doubtful a replacement is found. It’s much more likely that this fight is scheduled for a card in the fall, as it’s just too important of a fight at 145lbs and absolutely needs to happen to prove who the top dog at 145lbs is. Holloway (19-3) is 15-3 in the UFC and has won 12-straight fights. He is coming off of back-to-back TKO wins over Jose Aldo which helped him surge up to the top of the sport’s pound-for-pound ranks. Ortega (14-0, 1 NC) is 6-0, 1 NC in the UFC and is coming off of a vicious KO win over Frankie Edgar which bumped him up to the spot of the undisputed No. 1 contender. This fight needs to be re-booked whenever Holloway is healthy, and hopefully Ortega also stays healthy and the fight happens, but for now fans will be disappointed. Thankfully, the rest of UFC 226 is absolutely stacked and should be an amazing card to watch.
Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalinda Faria Added To UFC Fight Night 135
Some good news, as an intriguing women’s flyweight bout between Joanne Calderwood and Kalindra Faria will take place at UFC Fight Night 135, which goes down Saturday, August 25 at CenturyLink Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. ESPN reported the bout. Calderwood (11-3) is 3-3 so far in the UFC and has honestly been a disappointment considering she came over from Invicta as someone who looked like a future champion. But she should be better fighting at 125lbs. Faria (18-7-1) is 0-2 in the UFC and has been a disappointment in the Octagon as well after coming over to the UFC as a champion in Titan FC and former title challenger in WSOF. This should be a pretty competitive fight between two fighters looking to save their careers in the UFC, but even despite being a disappointment I have to lean towards Calderwood in this one. I just feel like she has more skills and should win this fight. I would expect Calderwood to be a small favorite.
