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CALGARY – UFC President Dana White says featherweight champion Max Holloway is making promising strides in his recovery after withdrawing from UFC 226 earlier this month under concerning circumstances.

Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was pulled from a scheduled title defense against Brian Ortega (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) after experiencing concussion-like symptoms and being hospitalized during fight week. There’s been little in the way of updates since with the exception of Holloway revealing he was flown to Las Vegas for additional testing.

With uncertainty about what was wrong with Holloway, many have feared the worst for his future. White alleviated some of those concerns Friday, though, when he gave an update on the health status of “Blessed.”

“He’s good,” White told reporters, including MMAjunkie, following UFC on FOX 30 weigh-ins. “He’s doing well. They gave him a time frame. I’d actually like to wait a little longer on his time frame and make sure that he’s 100 percent. I don’t know yet (what the time frame is).”

In the fallout of Holloway’s situation, reports have emerged that the Hawaiian suffered a stroke while cutting weight for UFC 226. Holloway’s management team adamantly shut down those rumors, and although White couldn’t speak to the exact nature of his issue, he did speak with confidence that Holloway is improving.

“There was no stroke,” White said. “It either had to do with concussion – either a concussion, or they believe it happened to him because he was cutting weight at that time. We still don’t know for sure. But we know he’s doing OK, he’s healthy, and he’s doing a lot better.”

Holloway, 25, is currently riding a 12-fight winning streak inside the octagon. There was much hype around the fight with Ortega, which could still take place in the future. The possibility of an interim title for the division in Holloway’s absence has been mentioned, but White said that’s currently not under consideration as the organization plans to “wait for him.”

White said Holloway could be cleared to compete in the not-too-distant future, but at just 26, he’s not trying to rush the champion back into the octagon.

“What I want to do is have him take some time off,” White said. “Here’s the problem: No matter how far away you book a fight, I’m worried about him starting to spar. I don’t want him to do any of that stuff until it’s absolutely necessary. I want to give him more time. There is no time frame. I just want this kid to be healthy.”

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