UFC Featherweight champion, Max Holloway will defend his belt for the first time when he takes on former UFC lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar at UFC 218 on December 2nd at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.
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CONFIRMED! Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar at UFC 218 in Detroit! Will it be #AndStill OR #AndNew?
The event marks the UFC’s return to Motown after 20 years when UFC 9: Motor City Madness was headlined by reigning UFC Superfight Champion Ken Shamrock and number one contender Dan Severn. Shamrock lost via split decision but the fight was more famous for being the target of Arizona Senator John McCain, who fought to have the event cancelled famously calling the UFC “human cockfighting”.
Featherweight champion Holloway (18-3) is the UFC’s newest bad boy, wild child infusion in the era of Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. Fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii, Holloway is considered the future of the division after a dominant third-round knockout of long reigning champion Jose Aldo for the interim belt. Holloway became the full champion after Conor McGregor was stripped of the belt in the wake of his loss to Floyd Mayweather.
Jose Aldo vs Max Holloway HIGHLIGHTS HD
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Former lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) entered the featherweight division and instantly fought Jose Aldo for the title. Although he came up short losing a unanimous decision, Edgar bounced back with consecutive wins over Charles Oliveira, BJ Penn, Cub Swanson, Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes before fighting Aldo again for the title and coming up short. Now again on a two-fight win streak, Edgar looks to become the fourth two-division champion in UFC history (Conor McGregor, BJ Penn, Randy Couture are the others).
Other notable bouts include a heavyweight clash between MMA superstar Alistair Overeem (43-15, 1 NC) and Francis Ngannou (10-1). Overeem is one of the best heavyweights in MMA history and has been a champion in almost every promotion he has competed in, with the excpetion of the UFC heavyweight.
A lightweight matchup between the coaches of this season of The Ultimate Fighter, former UFC lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez (28-5, 1 NC) and rising star, Justin Gaethje (18-0) round out a stellar main card.
