Max Holloway hospitalized, out of UFC 226 title fight against Brian Ortega

Max Holloway has been ruled out of UFC 226, according to a statement from his management team obtained by ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

Holloway was pulled from Saturday's defense of his featherweight title against Brian Ortega due to concussion-like symptoms, which appeared before he started his weight cut. Holloway's team and UFC staff noticed issues late last week and he was rushed to the emergency room Monday but was released after one night.

The fighter wanted to continue preparations for the bout but was still displaying symptoms and crashed after open workouts. He experienced flashing vision and slurred speech.

He was taken back to the ER for further tests Wednesday night.

Ortega was shortly thereafter informed of the news and it's unclear if he'll remain on the card as the co-main event, Helwani adds.

Holloway last fought against Jose Aldo at UFC 218 in December 2017, which he won via third-round TKO.

He had been slated to replace Tony Ferguson and fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 for the lightweight belt in April, but he was ultimately deemed medically unfit to fight. Khabib eventually defeated Al Iaquinta to claim the title.

Late withdrawals have become a trend for International Fight Week. UFC 189, 200, 213, and now 226 have all been marred by fighters pulling out, or being removed from the card at the last minute.