The two were supposed to meet earlier this year at UFC 226 before Holloway was pulled from the bout due to concussion-like symptoms, but Ortega still feels something is off concerning Holloway’s health related issues.
“They did all the tests, right?” Ortega said at a UFC 231 media luncheon. “They evaluated, they made sure he was healthy. The UFC, being the name that they are, I don’t think they’re gonna let someone go in there if they’re not in the right state. What does kind of seem a little bit off is the the fact that they still can’t seem to figure out what’s going on. That’s kind of where it’s like, well are you guys being professional with this? Or do you guys really want to push this fight? I don’t know. My concern is always for him. I said it before, even though we’re fighting, I still have respect and love for the guy. He has a family, he has a kid and I don’t want to be the guy that triggers something bad to happen. I wouldn’t like to live with myself with that.”
Holloway has been pulled from multiple bouts this year, with UFC 231 serving as his first fight since UFC 218 in December of 2017.
Ortega says that he’ll fight either way on Saturday Night, whether its against Holloway or anybody else.
“We’ll fight whoever we have to fight,” Ortega said. “At that point, if it’s for the belt and they say that Max can’t fight, I can’t do that to the fans twice. Regardless on Saturday, I’m gonna fight no matter who it is.”
UFC 231 takes place on Saturday, December 8 from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with Max Holloway and Brian Ortega headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
