The best and worst from UFC 240: Holloway vs. Edgar
UFC 240 is in the books and to call it a letdown would be an understatement in my opinion. It was perhaps the worst pay-per-view main card of 2019 thus far – UFC 234 had less fanfare coming in but at least that show had some hot finishes. This one just felt like it dragged from start to finish.
Still, there were some positives to go along with the negatives. I just wish the UFC would really look at what they’re giving their fans on what should be their biggest shows, and consider more carefully some of their choices when it comes to that. This was a show that cost fans in the US and Canada upwards of $50. Was it really worth that much?
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC 240.
#1 Best: Holloway keeps on rolling
After his attempt to become a double champ in April ended unsuccessfully when he lost to Dustin Poirier, there were some fears that his wild fighting style and his pretty hectic schedule over the past few years would catch up to Max Holloway when he made his way back to 145lbs. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case last night.
Sure, it wasn’t his best performance – this was the least stirring fight from the Hawaiian since probably his 2015 win over Jeremy Stephens – but for the most part Holloway stuck to a gameplan of striking from distance and avoiding takedowns and picked challenger Frankie Edgar apart. His jab and his right uppercut were the most consistent weapons he had, and outside of some good leg kicks, Edgar didn’t really have much of an answer.
The New Jersey native’s toughness kept him in the fight throughout – Holloway never came close to a finish – but thankfully the judges saw it as a clear-cut win for Holloway, who retained his UFC Featherweight title. I say thankfully as I lived through the awful period of seemingly endless Edgar rematches at 155lbs from 2010 to 2012!
At any rate, Holloway should theoretically move on now to face Alexander Volkanovski – a nuanced striker who’s equally adept on the ground, and who has a winning streak to rival Holloway’s thanks to his recent victories over Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. Hopefully that fight will be better than last nights, but regardless, it was a good thing for the division, and the UFC in general, that Holloway came out on top.