The question Saturday was: How would Max Holloway perform back at featherweight after an unsuccessful move up to lightweight, when he lost a fight for the interim title to Dustin Poirier at UFC 236?

Well, Holloway didn't have any issues with the move down to his natural weight class. He used his range and powerful strikes to beat Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47) to retain the featherweight championship in the main event of UFC 240 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. Sporting News had it scored 49-46 for Holloway.

"Everybody said I wouldn't be able to wrestle this guy," Holloway said during his postfight interview with Joe Rogan. "I wanted to prove a point to everybody."

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Holloway (21-4) started out slowly while Edgar was firing on all cylinders, using his quickness, getting in and out and hitting the champion with a couple of right hands and leg kicks. Holloway, though, nailed down Edgar's timing by the time the first round was coming to an end, and he took it from there.

The 27-year-old Hawaiian controlled the distance by using the jab effectively. The jab allowed him to come in and overpower Edgar with hooks and uppercuts to leave the former lightweight champion's face a bloody mess whenever a round ended. Edgar hit Holloway with everything he had, but Holloway showed no fear and walked through the shots with relative ease.

“Frankie’s a true warrior," Holloway also said to Rogan.

The win marks Holloway's third defense of the featherweight belt and his 14th consecutive victory at 145 pounds.

For Edgar, this marks his fifth straight loss in a title fight, including three straight attempts at featherweight. He was noncommittal when he was asked if he would drop down to bantamweight and secure another championship opportunity, but he knew he wasn't going to retire after this bout.

“I expected everything he brought," Edgar said to Rogan. "Max is a stud. He’s the best guy in the world. It’s just tough, you know. I’m not done. I’ve got a lot of fight in me.”

Here is what happened at UFC 240:

UFC 240 results, highlights

Max Holloway pummels Frankie Edgar to retain featherweight title

12:04 a.m.: Holloway def. Edgar by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47) to retain the UFC featherweight championship.

Round 5: Holloway could have ridden his bicycle for the final minutes. Instead, he continued to pepper the jab and inflict more damage to Edgar's face. Great performance by Holloway. (Holloway,10-9; 49-46, Holloway).

Round 4: Was an even round until the final minute when Holloway overpowered Edgar with two more right hands and a left hand to send Edgar back. Edgar knew he was in trouble and tried, to no avail, to see whether a takedown would work like it did in the previous round. Holloway ended with another thudding spinning back kick to seal the round. Edgar needs a finish. (Holloway,10-9; 39-37, Holloway).

Round 3: Holloway controlled the majority of the round. He stuffed the takedowns and started to pick Edgar apart on the feet.

With about a minute to go, Holloway blasted Edgar with two straight right hands that sent Edgar against the cage. Holloway thought he had Edgar for the taking, but Edgar scored a desperation takedown, although he didn't do much with it as Holloway got back to his feet with 10 seconds to go. Hard to score a round for someone who only did something for the last 40 seconds of it and didn't do any damage on the ground. Edgar's nose is busted up as he walks back to his corner. (Holloway, 10-9; 29-28, Holloway).

Round 2: A must-win round for Holloway. A good sign for him as he stuffs two takedown attempts. Holloway is doing a good job of cutting off the Octagon and not allowing Edgar to get going. With 90 seconds left in the round. Holloway connected on a flush right hook for the best punch of the fight. At the end of the round, Holloway hit on an emphatic spinning back kick to send Edgar flying. Holloway has amped up the pressure; let's see how he continues to put the foot on the pedal. (Holloway, 10-9; 19-19).

Round 1: That was a Frankie Edgar round. He got in, threw a couple right hands, got out, reset and repeated. I like how he started mixing in a leg kick. Edgar needs to stay away from the uppercut; Holloway connected on it twice and Brian Ortega put Edgar away with the shot at UFC 222. (Edgar, 10-9).

12:26 a.m.: It is time for the main event of UFC 240, as Max Holloway defends the featherweight championship against Frankie Edgar.

Holloway (20-4) returns to 145 pounds after losing an interim lightweight title bout to Dustin Poirier at UFC 236. Edgar (23-6-1) makes his 2019 debut. In his time out, the former lightweight champion beat Cub Swanson in April 2018.

It's hard not to see how Holloway doesn't run through Edgar. He's won 13 consecutive fights at featherweight and made it look easy in the process.

But that is why they fight.

Cris Cyborg's striking proves to be too much for Felicia Spencer; Cyborg wants Amanda Nunes rematch

12:14 a.m.: Cyborg def. Spencer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Who had this one going the distance? Not me.

Cyborg tried to finish it early, rushing Spencer and landing a barrage of shots, but Spencer survived. Spencer connected on a standing elbow that caused a deep gash at the bridge of Cyborg’s nose. On two occasions, Spencer had Cyborg against the cage but couldn’t take her to the mat as Cyborg stuffed the takedown attempts.

Spencer went right at Cyborg to begin the second round looking for a takedown. For some reason, Spencer pulled guard and Cyborg went to work uncorking a barrage of punches on the ground. To Spencer’s credit, she battled through it and got the fight back to the feet.

The striking advantage became evident in the third round as Cyborg mixed up her strikes, used her leg kicks and threw crisp punches upstairs and downstairs. Give Spencer credit for absorbing the punishment for 15 minutes. The Canadian had her moments and definitely raised her stock even in defeat.

During her postfight interview with Joe Rogan, Cyborg reiterated that she wants a rematch against reigning featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. If her team and the UFC can agree to a new contract, then another battle between the two best female fighters on the planet should go down.

12:03 a.m.: If you had this fight making it into the third round, you will be making some money.

Midnight: Cyborg looking to close the show.

11:57 p.m.: Raise your hand if you honestly thought we would be seeing a second round.

11:48 p.m.: It is time for the co-main event of UFC 240, as Cris "Cyborg" Justino squares off against Felicia Spencer in women's featherweight action. Justino (20-2, one no-contest) looks to rebound after losing the title to Amanda Nunes in 51 seconds at UFC 232. Spencer (7-0) is the former Invicta FC 145-pound champion. If Spencer can get Cyborg to the ground, she can make it interesting. If not, then it will only be a matter of time before Cyborg puts her away.

Geoff Neal wins a wild affair over Niko Price

11:42 p.m.: Neal def. Price by TKO at 2:39 of the second round.

These two delivered the goods with the best fight on the main card to this point. Neal began the action with a surprising takedown 90 seconds into the first round. He applied constant pressure on the feet with knees and kicks.

Price bounced back and rocked Neal with a head kick. With Neal on shaky legs, both guys connected on punches and head-butts at the same time. Price immediately jumped on Neal but couldn’t finish him off. Neal gathered himself and scored a takedown at the end of the round.

In the second round, a wild exchange ensued, with Neal getting the better of the action, that ended with him sending Price to the mat. Neal was in full mount and didn't give Price a chance to breathe. The 28-year-old continued to land hard left and right hands until referee Dan Miragliotta stopped it.

Miragliotta made the right call. It's better to err on the side of caution, considering the two deaths that have occurred in the last week in boxing.

11:26 p.m.: Coming up at UFC 240, Geoff Neal meets Niko Price in welterweight action. Neal (11-2) comes in riding a five-fight winning streak, with the last three coming in the UFC. Like Neal, Price (13-2, one no-contest) is on a good run, having won three of his last four, including a first-round knockout over Tim Means his last time out in March.

This is the sleeper fight of the main card. Both guys are looking to steal the show and leave a lasting impression on those in the welterweight division.

Arman Tsarukyan impresses in decision win against Olivier Aubin-Mercier

11:17 p.m.: Tsarukyan def. Aubin-Mercier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

A great win for the Russian. Mercier was considered the better grappler and Tsarukyan the better striker coming into the fight. Tsarukyan flipped the script Saturday.

Tsarukyan switched it up in the first round by taking Aubin-Mercier down to the canvas. The crowd wasn't very happy with Tsarukyan’s tactics as he kept throwing soft knees into Aubin-Mercier’s upper thigh just to keep him at bay and stay busy so referee Herb Dean wouldn't break them up.

Aubin-Mercier gave Tsarukyan a dose of his own medicine in the second by dropping him with a high kick. He couldn’t close the show after a series of shots and Tsarukyan was able to get back to his feet. Neither guy could gain an advantage for the remainder of the round.

With the fight hanging in the balance in the third round, Aubin-Mercier tried for a takedown but Tsarukyan had good body control and shifted his weight to get on top. Unlike the first round, Tsarukyan inflicted damage with punches and elbows to Aubin-Mercier’s body for the remainder of the round en route to his first UFC win.

Canadians are now 0-2 on the main card.

11 p.m.: Fun fight as we head into the third and final round. Could be even on the judges' scorecards.

10:48 p.m.: Up next at UFC 240, Olivier Aubin-Mercier faces Arman Tsarukyan in lightweight action. Aubin-Mercier (11-4), who trains alongside Georges St-Pierre, is in dire need of win; he has lost back-to-back fights. Tsarukyan (13-2) is a highly touted prospect out of Russia who is looking for his first UFC win after losing to Islam Makhachev in April.

Krzysztof Jotko earns split decision nod over Marc-Andre Barriault

10:43 p.m.: Jotko def. Barriault via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

A fairly uneventful affair. Nothing blew your away to give an advantage to one or the other. Jotko slowed everything down for 15 minutes. The Poland native controlled the action, was the busier fighter and nullified Barriault’s advantage on the feet. Jotko (21-4) has now won back-to-back tilts.

10:30 p.m.: The champ is in the building.

10:13 p.m.: Kicking off the main card of UFC 240, Krzysztof Jotko takes on Marc-Andre Barriault in middleweight action. Jotko (20-4) snapped a three-fight losing streak in April, when he defeated Alen Amedovski. Barriault (11-2) returns to his native Canada looking for his first UFC win after losing his Octagon debut to Andrew Sanchez in May. On paper, Jotko is the better fighter, but there's nothing like competing in front of your countrymen.

10:02 p.m. ET: Welcome to Sporting News' live coverage of the main card of UFC 240. The final two matches of the event have grabbed the headlines but you never know what could happen before then. Get the refreshments and stay locked in to what should be an exciting night of fist-a-cuffs.

UFC 240 undercard results

Viviane Araujo def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28); women's flyweights.

Hakeem Dawodu def. Yoshinori Horie by knockout at 4:09 of the third round; featherweights

Gavin Tucker def. Seung Woo Choi via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:17 of the third round; featherweights.

Deiveson Figueiredo def. Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27); flyweights.

Gillian Robertson def. Sarah Frota via TKO at 4:13 of the second round; women's flyweights.

Erik Koch def. Kyle Stewart via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28); welterweights.

UFC 240 fight card

Main card

Max Holloway (c) vs. Frankie Edgar for Holloway's featherweight title.

Cris Cyborg vs. Felicia Spencer; women's featherweights.

Geoff Neal vs. Niko Price; welterweights.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Arman Tsarukyan; lightweights.

Marc-André Barriault vs. Krzysztof Jotko; middleweights.

Preliminary card

Alexis Davis vs. Viviane Araujo; women's flyweights.

Hakeem Dawodu vs. Yoshinori Horie; featherweights.

Gavin Tucker vs. Seung Woo Choi; featherweights.

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Deiveson Figueiredo; flyweights.

Gillian Robertson vs. Sarah Frota; women's flyweights.

Erik Koch vs. Kyle Stewart; welterweights.

UFC 240 latest news

- Max Holloway fought on a pay-per-view main card for the first time when Frankie Edgar was at the top of the bill. Holloway explains to SN his feelings on facing someone he's always looked up too.

- A lot of hoopla has surrounded Cris Cyborg heading into UFC 240. She tells SN that in her mind, life isn't just stepping into the cage.

- Check out our odds on the UFC 240 headliner. Who will win and what is the pick to make?

- On the fence about ordering UFC 240? Here's everything you need to know about the UFC's second PPV event of July.