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As UFC 226 draws closer, the shadow of Max Holloway’s scary withdrawal looms

LAS VEGAS — From the moment fight week began, Michael Chiesa knew something was wrong with Max Holloway.

It was the Monday before International Fight Week festivities kicked off when Chiesa and a teammate happened to catch a video of the UFC featherweight champion. Instantly, they were perplexed. Something was amiss with Holloway, but they couldn’t quite tell what. They weren’t alone. Later that night, Holloway’s team rushed their fighter to the emergency room. Within 48 hours, Holloway was back in the E.R. once more, and by that time, his UFC 226 fight with Brian Ortega had been called off.