Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega, Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis Slated for UFC 226

UFC 226 is shaping up to be one of 2018’s biggest cards.

Max Holloway will defend his featherweight crown against No. 1 contender Brian Ortega in what is likely be the evening’s co-main event, while Francis Ngannou will square off with Derrick Lewis in a key heavyweight clash. MMAjunkie.com was the first to report Holloway vs. Ortega, and the contest has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. Meanwhile, MMAFighting.com first brought word of the Ngannou-Lewis matchup.

UFC 226 takes place on July 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the promotion’s International Fight Week. The card is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between reigning champ Stipe Miocic and 205-pound king Daniel Cormier.

Holloway nearly had a shot at becoming a two-division champion when he agreed to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on short notice for the lightweight belt at UFC 223, but the Hawaiian was ultimately deemed medically unfit to compete due to weight cut issues. “Blessed” last appeared at UFC 218, where he made his first official defense of the featherweight strap with a third-round stoppage of Jose Aldo.

Ortega, meanwhile, earned his No. 1 contender’s spot with a brutal first-round knockout of Frankie Edgar in the UFC 222 co-main event. The win improved “T-City” to 14-0 with one no contest over the course of his professional tenure.

Ngannou made a splash in the heavyweight division with six consecutive finishes in the Octagon. His run came to an end in a title bout against Miocic, as he dropped a five-round verdict against the Cleveland firefighter in the UFC 220 headliner.

Lewis, meanwhile, has won seven of his last eight promotional appearances, including a third-round knockout of Marcin Tybura in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 126.