UFC 222 Could Be Canceled Without Replacement Title Fight
With news surfacing last weekend that featherweight champion Max Holloway had been forced out of his UFC 222 main event against Frankie Edgar, the UFC was left scrambling to find a suitable headliner for the March 3 pay-per-view.
A bantamweight rematch between champion TJ Dillashaw and former champ Cody Garbrandt was rumored but was thrown aside by Dillashaw, who said he wasn’t prepared and that ‘No Love’ had to work his way back to a title shot. Edgar, meanwhile, was tabbed to face surging featherweight Brian Ortega on the card despite rumors of him also facing Garbrandt, and it appears that fight is still close to a reality.
However, the event itself may not be, as MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported earlier today that although Edgar vs. Ortega looks close to official, UFC 222 could be changed to a Fight Night card with that fight headlining if a PPV-level title fight is not able to be booked. With Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt II off the books, an attempt to book women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg also unsuccessful, and viable options wearing thin as time grows short, the event could possibly be canceled altogether as a last resort:
Edgar vs Ortega is all but done. The question now is whether it’s the main event or not. If UFC can’t find a title fight to headline 3/3 (and thus far no luck), there’s a good chance they’ll turn the PPV into a Fight Night and have Edgar-Ortega be a 5-rounder. (Cont’d)
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 6, 2018
Doesn’t appear as though Dillashaw-Garbrandt will happen on 3/3. They also tried to book Cyborg-Kunitskaya but that’s not happening either. Canceling the card altogether is also on the table. They tried to book Edgar-Ortega on the Orlando card to beef that up but it’s too soon.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 6, 2018
So, lots still up in the air. Last resort is to cancel the card. They’d rather not turn it into a Fight Night but they’ll have to if they can’t produce a title fight and right now there just aren’t many title fight options for less than a month away. Developing.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 6, 2018
So much is still up in the air for UFC 222, but true top-level options in terms of a legitimate title fight on such short notice are few and far between – if available at all.
It may only be February, but the UFC has already seen two title fights fall apart due to injury, not a great sign for a year where they need headliners to go off without a hitch arguably more than ever.
Will they be able to save UFC 222?
