Podcast: Max Holloway previews Ortega fight, talks struggles with year off
Max Holloway returns to the Octagon on Saturday for the first time in 12 months to defend his featherweight title against Brian Ortega at UFC 231 in Toronto.
Holloway was forced to cancel his original fight date with Ortega in July due to concussion-like symptoms, one of two bouts the Hawaiian had scrapped in 2018.
The 26-year-old discussed the challenges he faced with physical and mental health in his year away from the cage on the latest episode of At Large with Alex Wong, as well as his view of the controversial finish between Connor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After submitting McGregor at UFC 229 in October, Nurmagomedov jumped into the crowd to challenge people in McGregor's inner circle as retaliation for what he felt were inappropriate comments made in the lead-up to the fight.
Holloway says even personal trash talk has never bothered him.
"Go ahead," he said. "Run your mouth. You're about to get locked up in a cage with me for 15 minutes, 25 minutes, three rounds, five rounds, or whatever we're fighting. And I'm going to make you pay ... I don't care what you say. I'm going to punch you in the face and I'm going to get paid for it."
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