The UFC’s big card in just four weeks is now without a headliner.
Max Holloway is injured and out of his featherweight title defense against Frankie Edgar, which was scheduled to be the main event of UFC 222 on March 3 in Las Vegas, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed with sources Saturday morning. ESPN was the first to report the news.
The UFC is currently trying to find a new main event to take its place.
Sources told Helwani that Holloway sustained a leg injury in training, leading to the withdrawal.
This will be the second time in just a few months that Holloway vs. Edgar was scheduled and then fell through. Holloway was supposed to defend the featherweight title against the former lightweight champ at UFC 218 in December, but Edgar was forced to pull out with an injury.
Holloway (19-3) instead faced Jose Aldo in the main event of that card, in a rematch of their UFC 212 fight from June. Holloway won for a second time via third-round TKO to retain the belt.
Edgar (22-5-1) has won two straight to earn another shot at the featherweight gold. He’s coming off a second-round TKO of Yair Rodriguez at UFC 211 in May.
The co-main event of UFC 222, as it stands now, is a heavyweight fight between Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski.