Max Holloway Expects A Difficult UFC 231 Title Fight: “Brian Ortega Is A Dangerous Guy, Mexican Blood In Him Is Just Crazy!”
UFC 231 takes place on Saturday evening in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is headlined by one of the most interesting Featherweight title fights of all time between Brian Ortega and Max Holloway.
Max Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is on a hot streak, with 12 victories in a row. He comes out with two TKO wins over the former UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 212 and UFC 218. Yet, “Blessed” pulled out of the last two events due to medical issues!
Holloway’s body couldn’t handle brutal UFC 223 weight cut, so he had to pull out from the bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Max Holloway was also set to defend UFC Featherweight title versus Brian Ortega at UFC 226 on July 7, 2018. But he was removed from that fight due to mysterious “concussion-like symptoms“! The Hawaiian even confessed he battled depression! “Blessed” passed all the medical tests recently, and he is cleared for a UFC 231 fight.
Brian Ortega (14-0, 1 NC MMA, 6-0, 1 NC) has never been defeated. In his last two fights, the former RFA Featherweight champion earned victories over Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 123 and Frankie Edgar at UFC 222.
Max Holloway expects one of the most difficult matches in his career at the main event of UFC 231. According to Holloway’s statement, Ortega is a dangerous knockout artist with a superb chin. Holloway praises “Ortega’s Mexican blood” too. (h/t MMAMania.com)
“The man is dangerous,” Holloway told The MMA Hour. “He’s just a dangerous guy all around. He showed that he can knock you out with a punch, with a kick, with a knee. He showed that if you give him something, he’s going to try to take it home with him. And he also showed that he’s got a chin on him. That Mexican blood in him is crazy. It’s going to be a crazy fight. Mexicans and Hawaiians, we’re born fighters. But it’s going to be crazy and amazing, and I just can’t wait to [fight]. This is one of those guys. This is a fight where everybody keeps talking about, ‘Man, I wish these guys could fight this guy, or blah, blah.’”
UFC 231 brings few more interesting clashes. Valentina Shevchenko faces Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a Flyweight bout at the co-main event of the evening. In the Light Heavyweight division, Jimi Manuwa fights Thiago Santos. The preliminary card brings Strawweight division match between Nina Ansaroff and BJJ black belt Claudia Gadelha.
Do you expect one of the best title matches ever? Can Holloway be the first man to defeat “T-City”? Will Max Holloway pull out again?
