Max Holloway calls for Brian Ortega at UFC 226; Dana White wants 'that fight immediately'

LAS VEGAS – Brian Ortega’s smashing performance against ex-champ Frankie Edgar earned him a shot at UFC featherweight titleholder Max Holloway.

That much is certain. The question now is when it goes down.

After Ortega (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) picked up the huge win in UFC 222’s co-headliner, Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) only needed seven characters to weigh in.

Via Twitter: 

The summer event on July 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is the date Holloway sees for defending his title. But UFC President Dana White might even want it sooner, depending on when the champ gets cleared to fight.

“I just saw him,” White told MMAjunkie at the post-event press conference for UFC 222, which took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “He came on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ as one of the coaches, and he looks good. He’s walking good.

“We’ve got to see what his doctor says. When he’s cleared and he’s ready to fight, we’ll make that fight immediately.”

Holloway withdrew from UFC 222 with a leg injury, forcing the promotion to scramble for a replacement. Ortega stepped up on three weeks’ notice to take on Edgar (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) with title implications.

After a strong start from Edgar, Ortega quickly turned the tables with an elbow that rattled “The Answer,” setting up a picture-perfect uppercut that marked the first stoppage loss in Edgar’s career.

Ortega, for one, welcomes a title fight with Holloway in July. While he’s looking forward to some time off after two fights in three months, he sees no reason not to let it roll.

Asked whether he could make UFC 226, the young challenger mirrored the champ’s brevity.

“When’s the date?” Ortega asked. “Yeah. Sure.”

For complete coverage of UFC 222, check out the UFC Events section of the site.