In one of the most worrisome events of the year to date, featherweight champion Max Holloway was removed from his fight vs. Brian Ortega after he showed what were described as concussive symptoms – his voice was slurred, among other symptoms. There was speculation that he was in fact suffering from a concussion, that he took in too much water as part of a weight cutting regimen, and that he could have suffered a stroke.
In his first major interview since the withdrawal, Holloway apeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
I’ve seen multiple doctors and experts but they haven’t been able to give us any answers about what happened, said Holloway, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. There’s one thing they know right now and that’s that I’m okay. I’m okay and I’m gonna fight again, that’s all we know. As of right now, I’m good.
I’ve seen a lot of stuff they’ve been talking about in the media – weight cut, stroke, whatever – you saw me. I grew up in front of everyone’s eyes in the UFC. This wasn’t a weight cut. I’ve made weight 20 plus times. You guys have been there through the hard weight cuts, through the easy ones, through the hard training camps. This wasn’t it. This wasn’t a weight cut thing. It was weird. I don’t know how to explain it. . .
There’s rumors going around that I got knocked out in training. I wish it was that so we could just write it down and move on from it but that’ didn’t happen. I didn’t suffer a concussion at all. At the end of the day, I wish the answer was that simple. It would be easier to move forward if we knew what happened.
They put me on medical suspension for 30 days and we’re taking it slow. They still didn’t figure out what was wrong but everything is coming back good. They’re just being cautious with me right now. I think after this 30 day period, we should get back to business, hopefully before the end of the year. . .
It’s a tough one, having that year last year and then having this year this year, but this year is not over. I’m very confident that I’ll be back in there before the end of the year. Don’t count the kid out yet. The year’s not done, the story’s not written. We’ve got a lot more to write down and we’re just getting started. People keep forgetting, people keep questioning but we’re still in Blessed Era.
