Max Holloway has been passionately campaigning to bring UFC to Hawaii even before his second win over Jose Aldo. It looks like his rise to the top combined with his charismatic persuasion started winning the brass at the UFC over. Initially, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) stalled due to worries about spreading violence in the presence of a UFC card, however a meeting was scheduled with the UFC to make the event finally happen. The plan is to have UFC 227 in Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium with Max Holloway defending his belt against Brian Ortega, but once again the HTA countered the UFC’s offer, leaving the two sides ‘millions’ of dollars apart and negotiations stalled once again.
“I heard 227 in August was supposed to be UFC Hawaii, but I Tweeted 226 because you know, I gotta move on. You can’t hold this stuff forever, I can’t hold my breath. I got a life, I got a family to take care of, I got a little kid, I got fans. If I can’t get UFC Hawaii I said, the Ninth Island is the next best thing. It’s tough pill to swallow but at the end of the day, it is what it is. We can’t control nothing. All we can do is create buzz. I’d like to thank all the fans who are creating buzz.”
Breaking news from #TheMMAHour via @RobDeMelloKHON: #UFC227 was going to be #UFCHawaii but the proposal of a large scale card at Aloha Stadium sent to the Hawaii Tourism Authority from the UFC was countered and caused negotiations to stall.
— Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) March 5, 2018
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“We came far along and there’s still time, and i think it’s going to happen. I was hearing it was supposed to happen this August and if it does, it does. You’ll have a Hawaiian boy representing and protecting some hold in August, but if not come to the Ninth Island in July, baby. Hopefully everything works out with my injury and stuff comes along. We find out in a couple of weeks and hopefully I get to fight. I just got to get back in there and do my thing.” — Max Holloway speaking to KHON 2.
Obviously, Max Holloway isn’t giving up on the idea, but with time closing in on an August date, he’s willing to move on for now and be one of the many, many fighters trying to get their next fight on the huge UFC 226 card in Las Vegas. One thing is for sure, no matter where he fights Brian Ortega, all eyes will be on those two. After Ortega’s historic finish of Frankie Edgar, he’s proved he’s the next legitimate threat to Holloway and dangerous standing up as well as on the ground.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/6/2018.