UFC 206
| Industry | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 10, 2016 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario , Canada |
| Products | Mixed martial arts fights |
UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on December 10, 2016, hosted at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background
Originally, the headline bout for UFC 206 was scheduled to be a rematch for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship between former titleholder Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson. Their first encounter took place at UFC 187, where Cormier secured the vacant belt by submission. However, on November 25, Cormier withdrew due to injury, resulting in the cancellation of this fight. The UFC then considered pairing Johnson with former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi, but Johnson opted to await Cormier’s recovery; their rematch was eventually moved to UFC 210. As a result, a featherweight match between Max Holloway and ex-Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis was elevated to main event status and contested for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship. This change followed the featherweight belt being vacated by current champion and lightweight titleholder Conor McGregor, which promoted former champion and interim titleholder José Aldo to undisputed champion.
Newcomer to the promotion Poliana Botelho was originally scheduled to face former strawweight title contender Valérie Létourneau, but Botelho withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by fellow debutant Viviane Pereira.
A flyweight bout between former title challenger John Moraga and ex-Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky was planned; however, Moraga pulled out due to injury and was substituted by Dustin Ortiz.
A middleweight contest featuring Tim Kennedy against former light heavyweight champion and divisional rookie Rashad Evans had been set for UFC 205 but was canceled after Evans failed medical clearance. The matchup was rescheduled for UFC 206, yet Evans once again did not pass medical clearance due to MRI findings and was replaced by middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen, Kelvin Gastelum, pending commission approval. Gastelum’s suspension from UFC 205 was lifted four days before the event, allowing his participation.
A welterweight fight between Chad Laprise and Li Jingliang was called off after Laprise withdrew with injury; Li was removed from the card with plans for future rescheduling.
At the official weigh-ins, Pettis exceeded the featherweight limit by three pounds, which disqualified him from competing for the interim title despite the bout proceeding at catchweight. He was fined 20% of his purse, which was awarded to Holloway. This marked the first time since Travis Lutter at UFC 67 in 2007 that a fighter missed weight for a championship fight. Additionally, fighters Rustam Khabilov and Valérie Létourneau also failed to make weight for their respective matches; both were penalized 20% of their earnings, granted to their opponents, with their bouts held at catchweight.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi
- Performance of the Night: Max Holloway and Lando Vannata
Swanson vs. Choi
After being honored as the 2016 fight of the year, the UFC declared on April 10, 2022, that the bout between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi would be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame during 2022.