Max Holloway will return to featherweight for his next fight in hopes of registering a title defense against a man he’s been scheduled to fight twice before.
Holloway (20-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) will put his belt up for grabs against Frankie Edgar (23-6-1 MMA, 17-6-1 UFC) on July 27 at UFC 240. MMA Junkie confirmed verbal agreements are in place with Edgar’s management following an initial report from ESPN.com.
UFC 240 will take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The main card will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Holloway, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA featherweight rankings, moved up to the lightweight division in April for an interim title rematch with Dustin Poirier. The result did not go his way, with “Blessed” was being outpointed over five rounds to lose a unanimous decision that saw his 13-fight winning streak come to an end.
UFC president Dana White said afterward that he wanted to see the Hawaiian return to 145 pounds, and that’s what will happen.
Holloway will attempt to make a third consecutive defense of his title against No. 4 Edgar, who was scheduled to challenge Holloway at UFC 218 in December 2017 before he suffered an injury and was replaced by Jose Aldo. “The Answer” was then given the shot again at UFC 222 in March 2018, but this time it was Holloway who pulled out due to injury.
Edgar agreed to fight replacement opponent Brian Ortega at UFC 222 and was knocked out in the first round. He made a quick turnaround against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 128 in April and won a unanimous decision. Now 15 months later, the former UFC lightweight champ will get another shot at UFC gold. At 37, it could be his last.
For more on UFC 240, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
