Holloway likely to move up a class

TORONTO Whatever the outcome of Saturday’s UFC 231 main event between featherweight champion Max (Blessed) Holloway and challenger Brian (T-City) Ortega, UFC president Dana White says it could be Holloway’s last outing at 145 pounds.

White said the weight cut is too severe for the Hawaiian fighter, who has battled a variety of health issues this year around fight time.

“I didn’t want him to fight at 145 (pounds) again, I wanted him to fight at 155 (lightweight),” White said in an interview. “There’s a lot of risk — to him, to us, to everybody.”

But Holloway (19-3-0) wanted to face Ortega (14-0-0 with one no contest).

“I wanted him to move up to 155. I believe after this fight — win, lose or draw — he will,” said White.

“And I will be pushing him hard,” he added.

Holloway made weight Friday at 144.5 pounds, tweeting a photo of him on the scales with a finger to his lips as if silencing the doubters. Ortega was 144.75.

The champion had weighed 161 pounds on Monday, having no doubt already shed weight. Fighting at 155 would have been a breeze.

“You think these guys have to be tough to fight? You have to be tough to cut weight, man,” said White.

The two 145-pounders were originally slated to meet at UFC 226 in July, but Holloway was forced to withdraw at the last minute due to what was thought to be “concussion-like symptoms.”

Doctors have been unable to determine what the problem was.

“I’m pretty sure he did not have a concussion,” said White. “It had to be associated with weight cut.”

An ankle injury had forced Holloway (19-3-0) out of a March bout against former lightweight champion Frankie (The Answer) Edgar at UFC 222. Ortega filled in for Holloway, winning by spectacular first-round TKO.

Holloway also missed out on a short-notice fight with current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 in April (after Tony Ferguson withdrew with a knee injury), pulling out during his weight cut.

At 27, Holloway is already a veteran of 18 UFC fights and has won his last 12 bouts since an August 2013 loss to Conor McGregor.

Ortega, the No. 1 contender, is an accomplished black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

The buildup to Saturday’s fight has been without the smack that accompanies some fights. There is plenty of respect between the two rivals, who spent time together promoting the card.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-2-0) and Valentina (Bullet) Shevchenko (15-3-0) meet for the vacant women’s flyweight title in the co-main event.