Max Holloway Pulls Out Of UFC 226 Due To Concussion-Like Symptoms

On Wednesday, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway pulled out of this weekend’s UFC 226 bout against Brian Ortega after being hospitalized with concussion-like symptoms.

Max Holloway Out Of UFC 226 Vs. Brian Ortega

Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), nicknamed “Blessed” and Ortega were set to face off in Saturday’s main event in Las Vegas.

Ortega responded to news of Holloway’s withdrawal with a brief tweet:

“He was showing concussion-like symptoms before he even started his weight cut and was rushed to the ER on Monday where they admitted him overnight,” Holloway’s management team told Sports Illustrated in a statement, before adding that he was still undergoing tests in the ER.

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Holloway, 26, previously withdrew from UFC 222 against Khabib Nurmagomedov in April because of an issue regarding the required weight for the bout. He was thus not medically cleared to compete for that event.

Nurmagomedov offered his support for Holloway on Twitter:

Here are other Twitter reactions from around the UFC to Holloway’s health status:

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In other UFC news, Conor McGregor is expected to make a return soon, the Irish fighter’s head coach told ESPN on Wednesday. McGregor, who will be 30 this month, was arrested in New York in April after he attacked a bus full of UFC fighters in Brooklyn. He is reportedly seeking to reach a plea deal with the city’s district attorney, and is set to appear in court on July 26.

McGregor (21-3) last fought in the UFC in November 2016. Last year, he lost to Floyd Mayweather in a highly-touted boxing match.