Holloway to defend title versus Edgar at UFC 240
Max (Blessed) Holloway will put his UFC featherweight title on the line against former lightweight titleholder Frankie (The Answer) Edgar at UFC 240 in Edmonton on July 27.
There have been two past attempts to match Edgar and Holloway, in December 2017 at UFC 218 (Edgar was injured) and March 2018 at UFC 222 (Holloway was injured).
“It’s one of those fights people have wanted to see for a long time and now we’ve got the chance to actually pull it together,” said David Shaw, UFC senior vice-president of international and content.
Edgar agreed to fight Brian Ortega instead at UFC 222 and was knocked out in the first round, losing his title shot in the process. It went to Ortega, who lost a bloody five-round decision to Holloway at UFC 231 in Toronto last December.
Australian Alexander Volkanovski became the No. 1 contender at 145 pounds after winning a decision over former champion Jose Aldo in Brazil last weekend. With UFC 243 slated for Sydney, Australia, in early October, the UFC will likely look to showcase Volkanovski there. Volkanovski (20-1-0) has won all seven UFC fights and has not lost since May 2013.
Holloway (20-4-0) is coming off an April loss to Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title.
That snapped a 13-fight win streak that dated back to August 2013 when the 145-pounder from Hawaii was beaten by Conor McGregor.
The 27-year-old Holloway won the UFC interim featherweight title at UFC 206 in Toronto in December 2016, beating Anthony Pettis.
Edgar (22-6-1) returned to action in April, earning a unanimous decision over Cub Swanson. The 37-year-old is currently ranked fourth among 145-pound contenders behind Volkanovski, Ortega and Aldo.