Holloway (left) and Pettis (right) take part in the main fight of UFC 206. (Photo: Getty Images)
Ultimate arrives in Toronto, Canada, for UFC 206, an event that takes place this Saturday (10), and will feature a fight for the interim featherweight belt, in addition to the debut of Brazilian Viviane Sucuri on the preliminary card.
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In the main fight, Max Holloway faces Anthony Pettis with an eye on the interim featherweight belt, in a duel that could define his next opponent. José Aldo, lineal weight champion. Interestingly, Pettis, if he wins, cannot be declared champion, as he did not reach the weight limit for the category (up to 66kg). If Holloway is the winner, he will win the title. In the second most important fight of the show, Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown face off in the welterweight division.
To get you in the mood for UFC 206, the SUPER FIGHTS prepared five reasons for you to attend the event.
1 – It’s worth a belt, but only for one
After so much squeaking, Max Holloway He finally got his chance to fight for the belt. It may not go the way he planned, but that doesn't diminish the fact that he's about to have the most important duel of his career against Anthony Pettis, in the main event of UFC 206.
With an incredible streak of nine consecutive victories, Holloway is, in fact, one of the elite in the category. Among his victims, names such as Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens, Charles of the Bronx e Cub swanson, which proves the value of the only 25-year-old Hawaiian. Against Pettis, he will have the opportunity to win the long-awaited featherweight title. If he wins, he already has a defined opponent: the Brazilian José Aldo, whom the “Blessed” has frequently criticized.
Pettis, in turn, experiences the opposite situation. With three defeats in his last four fights, the former lightweight champion made his situation even worse by failing to fight the scales and not making weight for his category, a fact that makes it impossible for him to win the belt, even if he wins. At 29 years old, the North American seeks to rediscover the performances that earned him “Showtime” status.
Who will win this Saturday: the excited Max Holloway or the discredited Anthony Pettis? Make your bets.
2 – Aggressiveness defines
Cerrone (left) and Brown (right) are experiencing opposite moments in their careers.
What should we expect when two members of the top 15 welterweights (up to 77kg), known for their aggressive instincts and high knockout power, are placed face to face? If your answer is “high level striking”, you’re right. And that is exactly the current situation of the second most important fight on the show, between Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown.
Cerrone, a former lightweight challenger, debuted at welterweight in February this year, submitting the Brazilian Alex Cowboy. Since then, he has won the other two fights he has competed in: he knocked out Patrick Côté and Rick Story. Number five in the under-77kg ranking, the American “Cowboy” wants to move into fourth place to get closer to a new title fight, this time in the welterweight division.
Matt Brown, on the other hand, is not going through a good moment. In the last five fights, there are four defeats, two in 2017: he was finished by Demian Maia at UFC 198, in May, and knocked out by Jake ellenberger, in July. At 35 years old, the “Imortal” knows that a new setback could mean the end of his career in Ultimate, and that is why he seeks to return to the path of victories to scare away the “ghost of HR”.
3 – Experience x Youth
Kennedy (left) and Gastelum (right) face off on the main card of UFC 206.
Tim Kennedy and Kelvin Gastelum were scheduled to face, respectively, Rashad evans e Donald Cerrone at UFC 205, held last November, but neither saw action. By the irony of fate, they meet again on a numbered card, and this time as opponents.
Without fighting since September 2014, when he was knocked out by Yoel romero, Kennedy returns with the mission of putting himself back among the top middleweight names (up to 84kg). With three wins and one defeat in the organization, the North American, currently 10th in the rankings, needs to win next Saturday to prove that he still has gas in the tank, even at 37 years old.
Gastelum, in turn, returns to the middleweight division after having new problems making weight in the welterweight division. TUF 17 champion, Kelvin, just 25 years old, has already had nine fights in the organization, with seven triumphs and two setbacks. Against Kennedy, the American of Mexican descent wants to leave his problems with the scales in the past and return to being a protagonist inside the Octagon.
Experience or youth: who will speak louder next Saturday? Let’s wait…
4 – The South Korean promise
Choi is coming off three consecutive first-round knockouts. (Photo: Getty Images)
Don't be fooled by featherweight Doo Ho Choi's calm appearance and young age. At 25 years old, the South Korean has an impressive record of 15 wins and just one defeat in his career. In the UFC, there are already three fights, all won by knockout in the first round. Against Juan Puig, Choi, who was making his debut for the organization, needed just 18 seconds to dispatch his opponent. His last victory was in June this year, when he defeated the Brazilian Thiago tavares.
Packed, the 11th in the ranking seeks to engage fourth to enter the top of the category. This Saturday, however, he will face the biggest challenge of his career, the tough Cub swanson.
At 33 years old, Swanson, 4th on the featherweight list, has practically twice as many fights as Doo Ho – in 30 fights, he won 23 and lost seven. In the UFC, there are 11 fights, with eight wins and three losses. After suffering two consecutive setbacks to Frankie Edgar e Max Holloway, the American recovered by beating Hacran Dias and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Will Swanson stop the rise of the Asian promise or will Choi take another step towards the division's elite?
5 – Keep an eye out
Mein (left), Krylov (center) and Vanatta (right) will be in action at UFC 206.
In addition to the four clashes highlighted above, there are some interesting names to keep an eye on. Like, for example, the home fighter Jordan Mein.
Main returns to the Octagon against Emil Meek after a brief and early retirement. Without fighting since January 2015, when he was knocked out by the Brazilian Thiago Pitbull, the 27-year-old Canadian was seen as one of the main promises in the welterweight division. Despite his young age, he can already be considered a veteran of the sport, with 39 fights under his belt, 29 wins and 10 losses. Aggressive, he has already knocked out 16 opponents.
The second name is another young prospect. Nikita Krylov, just 24 years old, comes from five consecutive victories in the organization – all via the fast track -, taking him to 8th place in the light heavyweight rankings. Against Misha Cirkunov, he will have to prove, once again, that he is ready to beat a high-level name, but does anyone doubt that the little boy will be able to leave another body lying on the ground? The top 5 is right there.
Last but not least, the surprising Lando vannata. Unknown to most fans, the Jackson Wink MMA student debuted in Ultimate in July this year, and almost shocked the world by putting on a very tough fight against Tony Ferguson, with two knockdowns applied to the lightweight number two. At 24 years old, Vanatta quickly rose from anonymity to shine in the biggest MMA organization in the world.
UFC 206 technical sheet
DATE AND TIME: 10/12/2016, from 21:30 pm (Brasília time)
PLACE: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
STREAMING: Combat Channel
MAIN CARD
Feather weight: Max Holloway x Anthony Pettis
Welterweight Weight: Donald Cerrone x Matt Brown
Bantamweight: Cub swanson x Doo Ho Choi
Middleweight: Tim Kennedy x Kelvin Gastelum
Welterweight: Jordan Mein vs. Emil Meek
PRELIMINARY CARD
Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov x Misha Cirkunov
Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier x Drew dober
Strawweight: Valerie Letourneau x Viviane Sucuri
Bantamweight: Mitch Gagnon vs. Matthew Lopez
Lightweight: John makdessi x Lando vannata
Lightweight: Jason Saggo x Rustam Khabilov
Flyweight: Zach Makovsky x Dustin Ortiz
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