Report: Max Holloway injured, out of UFC 222 main event vs. Frankie Edgar

UFC 222 is exactly four weeks away, and now the card will need a new main event.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that featherweight champion Max Holloway has suffered an injury that will once again push back his title defense vs. Frankie Edgar. This comes just a couple of months after it was Edgar who withdrew due to injury when slated to fight Holloway at UFC 218.

According to Okamoto, the UFC hasn’t officially pulled Holloway from the card, but they are “already in the process of exploring other options for its main event.”

This looks to be the first time that Holloway has ever withdrawn from a scheduled fight, and it’s a huge hit to a PPV event that’s not exactly stacked with big names or even fights relevant to the top-5 of any division.

Here’s what UFC 222’s lineup currently features:

Stefan Struve vs. Andrei Arlovski
Beneil Dariush vs. Bobby Green
C.B. Dollaway vs. Hector Lombard
Mackenzie Dern vs. Ashley Yoder
Cat Zingano vs. Ketlen Vieira
Bryan Caraway vs. Cody Stamann
Sean O’Malley vs. Andre Soukhamthath
Jordan Johnson vs. Adam Milstead

Holloway’s injury means that both UFC 221 and 222 have seen the defending champion withdraw from the main event, with Robert Whittaker’s myriad of health problems forcing him out of next week’s headliner against Luke Rockhold. That card is still in place, but with Rockhold fighting Yoel Romero for an interim title.

Update: Ariel Helwani reports that Holloway injured his leg.