Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis, eminating from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The event is headlined by a battle for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship as Max Holloway takes on former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis. This bout is a replacement for the original main event, which was scheduled to be UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier defending against Anthony Johnson.
This fight will only be a title fight for Holloway after Pettis missed weight on Friday. If Pettis were to win, there would be no interim champion, so there is a lot on the line for Holloway. Holloway has put together one of the most impressive win streaks in the UFC, having won nine straight fights.
The co-main event is a potential barnburner in the welterweight division as Donald Cerrone looks to extend his three-fight win streak when he takes on Matt Brown. A featherweight bout between sluggers Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi, and a middleweight bout between Tim Kennedy and Kelvin Gastelum also highlight the main card.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
Some additional coverage:
– UFC 206 Observer Panel Picks & Preview
– UFC 206 Betting & Fantasy Playbook
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Zach Makovsky (#7, 19-7, 3-3 UFC) vs. Dustin Ortiz (#10, 15-6, 4-4 UFC)
Flyweights
Ortiz got a couple of takedowns early but Makovsky was defending. Ortiz got back mount and was looking for a choke when Makovsky got out and reversed with a takedown of his own. They were grappling in a clinch with both landing some knees and elbows. Makovsky got a takedown late but Ortiz reversed into full guard on top as the round ended. 10-9 Ortiz in the first. Ortiz went back into grappling mode in the second and got a takedown and took the back of Makovsky. Ortiz was attacking with punches and elbows from the back and was looking to find a choke. Makovsky was able to scramble out to the feet. Makovsky got a late takedown but Ortiz scrambled out and landed some knees to the body. 10-9 Ortiz in the second and I had him up 20-18. Makovsky got a takedown in the third but Ortiz had the neck but Makovsky got free into the guard. Ortiz was able to get to his feet and was able to push the fight against the fence for a moment. Makovsky was able to defend some takedown attempts from Ortiz before Ortiz finally got him down and moved to mount and was landing some strikes. They got up and Ortiz drug it down for a moment late. Makovsky got a late takedown but Ortiz was able to scramble out onto top. I had the third 10-9 for Ortiz and Ortiz winning 30-27 overall. Ortiz got the decision, but one judge gave the fight to Makovsky. I wouldn’t agree with that at all, but the right guy won.
Official Result- Dustin Ortiz def. Zach Makovsky by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Jason Saggo (12-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Rustam Khabilov (20-3, 6-2 UFC)
Lightweights- Khabilov missed weight, coming in at 158.5 pounds
Khabilov was on the attack early with punches and kicks but Saggo came back and landed some kicks before Khabilov landed two big right hands and scored a takedown. Khabilov spent the rest of the round in the guard but was mostly neutralized by Saggo in the guard. It was still a 10-9 round for Khabilov. Both were tentative on their feet landing kicks before Saggo landed a jumping kick. Khabilov was being patient on the feet and found the takedown with less than two minutes to go in the round. Saggo was able to get to his feet but started eating a lot of huge strikes from Khabilov. He had Saggo in trouble late but Saggo escaped. Khabilov was able to reverse a Saggo takedown attempt at the end of the round. A 10-9 round for Khabilov, and I had him up 20-18. They were trading strikes early in the third. Khabilov got a takedown into the guard of Saggo. Khabilov landed a lot from the top. They got up and Khabilov got another takedown. Saggo almost reversed to an armbar but Khabilov escaped to the guard. Khabilov got a third takedown in the round late. That was definitely a 10-9 round for Khabilov and I had him winning a clear 30-27 decision. He took the decision on all the scorecards, and Khabilov called out Kevin Lee in his post-fight interview.
Official Result- Rustam Khabilov def. Jason Saggo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> John Makdessi (14-5, 7-5 UFC) vs. Lando Vannata (8-1, 0-1 UFC)
Lightweights
They were trading back-and-forth early. No real openings were there but Vannata was the aggressor. Makdessi was landing jabs. Out of nowhere Vannata knocked Makdessi out cold with a spinning wheel kick! A highlight reel finish and a big knockout win for Vannata. One of the best knockouts of the year. Vannata may be a lot richer at the end of the night.
Official Result- Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi by knockout (head kick) at 1:40 of Round 1
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Mitch Gagnon (12-3, 4-2 UFC) vs. Matthew Lopez (8-1, 0-1 UFC)
Bantamweights
Lopez got a takedown stuffed early. Gagnon then rocked Lopez with a big punch and swarmed on looking for the finish. Gagnon had Lopez in a lot of trouble landing punch after punch. Gagnon had the back and looked to lock in a choke but Lopez was able to defend and scrambled to guard. Lopez amazingly recovered but the fight should have been stopped. They got up and both men dropped looking for leg locks. Lopez survived the round but clearly 10-9 for Gagnon. Gagnon went for a takedown in the second but Lopez reversed into full guard. Gagnon was able to scramble out but Lopez drug him to the ground and was looking for a choke from the back. Lopez got into mount but Gagnon got back up. Lopez got another takedown late. 10-9 round for Lopez and I have it even 19-19, but Gagnon could’ve gotten a 10-8 first. Gagnon landed a low blow at the start of the third. Lopez recovered and then got a takedown and was grinding from the top. Gagnon was able to get to his feet. Lopez scored another big takedown. Lopez landed quite a few punches from the back. Lopez went for a choke but the fight ended without him finding it. 10-9 third round for Lopez and I have him winning 29-28. It’ll come down to how the first round is scored. Lopez won on all scorecards. Interestingly, no judge gave a 10-8 round in the first for Gagnon, but one judge had a 10-8 round for Lopez, likely the third.
Official Result- Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
> Valerie Letourneau (#9, 8-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Viviane Pereira (11-0, 0-0 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights- *Letourneau missed weight, coming in at 117.5 pounds
Letourneau caught a leg and scored a takedown and was in the mount against the fence. Letourneau landing punches from the top. Pereira was able to get back to her feet. Pereira had Letourneau against the fence and was trying a takedown but Letourneau is just too big for her. Pereira just holding the clinch and Letourneau lands some knees. 10-9 opening round for Letourneau. They were trading in the second round. Pereira standing a lot on the outside and Letourneau being the more aggressive fighter. Pereira got a takedown off the clinch against the fence. Pereira landed some hammerfists and then let Letourneau back up. 10-9 second round for Pereira, 19-19 after two. They were trading in the third with neither getting the edge. A very slow third round. They got in a clinch and neither got the edge. They traded at the end. No clear round winner in the third. I’m giving it 10-9 to Letourneau for volume, and have it 29-28 Letourneau. Pereira took the fight on two scorecards. Not a bad call as neither did anything in that third round, or in most of the fight.
Official Result- Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Drew Dober (17-7 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC)
Lightweights
They were trading earlier and Aubin-Mercier dropped Dober with a left hand briefly. Dober was bleeding heavily from the nose. Aubin-Mercier was landing the jab at will and tagged Dober with a left hand and then dropped him for a moment with a body punch. Dober slipped on a kick. Dober cracked him late with a left hand and another. 10-9 round for Aubin-Mercier. Dober dropped Aubin-Mercier with a left hand and went right into the full guard. Aubin-Mercier grabbed a leg lock and used it to sweep Dober and he ended up into the full guard of Dober. Aubin-Mercier transitioned to the back and was able to get the arm under Dober’s neck and locked in a rear-naked choke. Dober tapped out and Aubin-Mercier gets the win by submission! First win for a Canadian fighter tonight.
Official Result- Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of Round 2
> Nikita Krylov (#8, 20-4, 5-2 UFC) vs. Misha Cirkunov (#13, 12-2, 3-0 UFC)
Light Heavyweights
They were trading with Krylov landing primarily kicks and Cirkunov punches. Cirkunov got a takedown. Krylov got to his feet. Krylov landed a body kick followed by a right hand. Cirkunov got another takedown but Krylov scrambled up and got a takedown of his own. Cirkunov swept to the top but they scrambled up. Cirkunov landed a big left hand and got another brief takedown. Cirkunov dropped Krylov with a left hand and locked in a deep guillotine and Krylov tapped! Cirkunov with the submission win in the first! That’s eight straight wins overall for Cirkunov, four straight in the UFC. Cirkunov expressed a desire to fight Shogun Rua in his post-fight interview.
Official Result- Misha Cirkunov def. Nikita Krylov by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:38 of Round 2
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Jordan Mein (29-10, 3-2 UFC) vs. Emil Meek (8-2-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC)
Welterweights
Mein is back from retirement. They traded leg kicks and Mein got a takedown but Meek got right back up. Meek landed a big leg kick and Mein countered with a takedown. They scrambled to their feet. Meek started landing punches that stunned Mein. They traded punches and Mein landed a big right hand. Mein landed two kicks then a left hand and got a takedown. Meek made a grimace and pointed to his ribs. They got up and started trading. Meek hurt Mein with a right hand. Fun first round. 10-9 Mein. Mein landing leg kicks in the second but Meek is coming back with a flurry of punches. Meek scored a takedown. Meek working from half-guard as Mein is doing nothing on the bottom. Meek looking for an arm-triangle in the mount. He had it in but Mein hip escaped. Meek landing punches from the top as the round ended. 10-9 Meek in the second, 19-19 so far. They traded early in the third and Meek pushed Mein against the fence. Meek got a takedown. The pace really slowed. Meek remaining on top and neither doing much. The crowd booing the slow pace of the round. Meek with more punches from the top. Mein tried a kimura but couldn’t get it as the fight ends. 10-9 Meek and I have it 29-28 Meek. All three judges had it the same.
Official Result- Emi Meek def. Jordan Mein by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Tim Kennedy (#10, 18-5, 3-1 UFC) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (#8 WW, 12-2, 7-2 UFC)
Middleweights
The first round was mostly all Kennedy as he took Gastelum down multiple times and was wearing him down with a body lock. Gastelum was able to escaped and tagged Kennedy a couple of times and Kennedy had a swollen right eye, and Gastelum rocked him late. I think he stole it at the end so I had it 10-9 Gastelum.
Kennedy tried to put this fight back to a grind in the second with a body lock but Gastelum escaped and was getting the better of the striking battle. Gastelum definitely had a speed edge on the feet and Kennedy started to show signs of gassing as the round wore on. 10-9 round for Gastelum and I had him up 20-18.
Gastelum was picking Kennedy apart on the feet early in the third round and had him close to being finished. He continued to tee off and dropped Kennedy and finally finished it in the third as John McCarthy stepped in. A big win for Gastelum and he looked very good in this fight. He expressed his desire to go back to 170 pounds after the fight. He looked great here so that might not be the right move.
Official Result- Kelvin Gastelum def. Tim Kennedy by TKO (punches) at 2:45 of Round 3
> Cub Swanson (#4, 23-7, 8-3 UFC) vs. Doo Ho Choi (#11, 15-1, 3-0 UFC)
Featherweights
They were going back-and-forth on their feet with both men landing hard punches. The output was more Swanson but Choi was connecting more and landing with more power and he had some real snap on his punches. All action on the feet in the first round. I had it 10-9 Choi.
The second round was so awesome. They were throwing punches back and forth and both men had the other close to being finished. They were just cracking each other in an amazing sequence. Swanson changed the pace for a moment but they got back up and were cracking each other with punches again. At one point, Swanson landed a cartwheel kick and a spinning back fist in back-to-back sequences. They both somehow survived. One of the best rounds of the year. I had it 10-9 Swanson, 19-19 after two.
The third round was nuts as well. They were just hitting each other with everything they had. Swanson cracked Choi with so many punches it was unreal how his chin held up. Both men were just hitting each other so hard. Swanson had Choi in trouble a lot but Choi was unreal in survivng. It was another amazing round. Swanson dropped him at the end. We have a late front runner for fight of the year. I had round three 10-9 for Swanson and the fight 29-28 for Swanson.
The crowd went crazy after the fight. All three judges had the fight for Swanson. He credited Choi for calling him out and making him question himself and said he trained hard for the fight. Choi- “If this is what losing feels like, I’m going to train even more, and I’m not going to lose again.” He said he is a huge fan of Swanson and really wanted to fight him.
Official Result- Cub Swanson def. Doo Ho Choi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Donald Cerrone (#5, #10 LW, 31-7 1 NC, 18-4 UFC) vs. Matt Brown (#14, 20-15, 13-9 UFC)
Welterweights
The first round mostly stayed standing and they were cracking each other, but Cerrone had more volume and had Brown in trouble. Brown did land some big punches and had Cerrone in a triangle choke at one point, but Cerrone escaped. Brown came on better at the end of the round. I had it 10-9 for Cerrone.
They were trading and Brown dropped Cerrone at one point and had him in trouble. Cerrone then ended up dropping Brown a few moments later. Both were landing, but as the round wore on, it looked like Cerrone’s punches were doing more damage and had Brown in more trouble.. Brown’s face was a bloody mess in this round. It was close, but I had it 10-9 for Cerrone based on damage. I had it 20-18 Cerrone.
They hugged at the start of the third round, but it didn’t last much longer after that. Cerrone landed a perfectly placed head kick and Brown went out cold! A highlight-reel knockout win for Cerrone! Cerrone said he wanted on the Denver card on January 28 in his post-fight interview.
Official Result- Donald Cerrone def. Matt Brown by knockout (head kick) at :34 of Round 3
> Max Holloway (#2, 16-3, 12-3 UFC) vs. Anthony Pettis (#5, 19-5, 6-4 UFC)
Interim UFC Featherweight Championship for Holloway, Pettis missed weight, coming in at 148 pounds
The first round was a lot of a feeling out process. Holloway was leaving himself wide open and Pettis was able to strike accordingly with side kicks and high kicks. Holloway started to find his strikes late and was landing clean and hard strikes as the round progressed. It started going his way at the end. I had it 10-9 for Holloway.
Holloway knocked Pettis down early in the second and Pettis got up and was starting to be more aggressive, likely sensing he was down in the fight. He kept closing in on Holloway, but that allowed Holloway to attack the body. Holloway was getting the better of the exchanges so Pettis tried to turn this into a clinch grind but the round ended before he could get anything going. I had round two 10-9 for Holloway, and him up 20-18.
As we start round three, it appears Pettis has a broken hand. It clearly has affected his gameplan as he stopped throwing his right hand and was mostly going for kicks. Holloway was executing his offense very well, mixing his striking with some well-timed trip takedowns. Pettis did hurt him with some jabs but that seems to be his main course of offense. Holloway then landed a beautiful sequence to the body that stunned and dropped Pettis and Holloway poured on the punches until Yves Lavigne stepped in and stopped it. A big finish by Holloway and he is now the Interim UFC Featherweight Champion.
Holloway called out Jose Aldo to unify the championships at UFC 208 in Brooklyn in February. Pettis said he broke his right hand with the first punch, and said he was going back to 155 pounds as the weight cut to 145 pounds is too much for him.
Official Result- Max Holloway def. Anthony Pettis by TKO (strikes) at 4:50 of Round 3
