The UFC 206 fight card looks to be complete. It might be a bit weaker than expected, especially with the absence of Georges St-Pierre, but it still has some fights you’ll want to tune into. Let’s go over the UFC 206 fight card, and break down what we’ll be seeing on December 10th.
UFC 206 Fight Card
Daniel Cormier vs Anthony Johnson II
In the main event, we have a light-heavyweight title fight. Champion Daniel Cormier and challenger “Rumble” Johnson will battle for the second time. These two fought for the belt a year and a half ago. In the first match, Johnson had Cormier in serious trouble early on. Johnson tried to follow up, but Cormier survived, weathered the storm, and came back to impose his wrestling on Johnson. Johnson became drastically fatigued and succumbed to a rear-naked choke in the third round.
Now, the two will meet again.
Cormier is coming off a less-than-stellar performance against Anderson Silva at UFC 200; given, it was incredibly short notice against a difficult, unpredictable opponent. Johnson however has looked ultra-impressive with three consecutive knockout victories, including a 13-second KO over Glover Teixeira. The big question comes down to whether or not Johnson will be able to avoid Cormier’s wrestling and pace himself. Cormier will still be at a significant disadvantage in the striking, but his highly-skilled wrestling is almost always enough to get the win.
Even though we’re all a bit bummed at the absence of Jon Jones, this is THE fight to see in the light-heavyweight division.
Max Holloway vs Anthony Pettis
Recently announced as the co-main event of the UFC 206 fight card, former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will take on top contender Max Holloway. Even though Conor McGregor remains the featherweight champion and Jose Aldo remains the interim featherweight champion, this fight is arguably for the number one contender spot.
Holloway has been on the streak of all streaks, racking up nine straight at 145 lbs. Pettis meanwhile was on a downfall at lightweight, but won his featherweight debut by submiting Charles Oliveira in a back-and-forth match. Stylistically, this is a matchup between two very entertaining strikers. Holloway possesses some great boxing, sharp movement, manipulation of range, and of course his toughness. Meanwhile, Pettis has some of the best kicks in the featherweight and lightweight divisions; more than enough stopping power to make him relevant in this matchup. While his boxing has looked average, he should have a massive advantage on the mat too.
This fight was just recently announced, but will it be enough to save this card? Many fans are still incredibly upset that this card won’t be featuring Georges St-Pierre. Does this fight help bring the UFC 206 fight card some needed value?
Cub Swanson vs Doo Ho Choi
By far my favorite matchup of the UFC 206 fight card, these two featherweights will surely bring the fireworks. Swanson has always been a top ranked featherweight, but couldn’t get past the likes of Frankie Edgar. Following a year long hiatus in which Swanson had a broken jaw, he was taken out by Holloway. This delayed his career another year while he contemplated retirement.
Swanson recently returned to the UFC in 2016, and will look to make it 3-0 since then. While his wins upon return weren’t the most impressive, he was able to stifle the wrestling attacks of both opponents; a part of his game he has been working on diligently.
While Swanson is always must-see TV, “The Korean Superboy” could be one of the most exciting prospects in the sport. He displays precision, accuracy, and technique not seen in even the best fighters in the UFC. While Choi is rather untested, especially against someone with solid wrestling, he is 3-0 with 3 first round KOs. Swanson will be the most advanced striker he has faced, but so far Choi has been nothing but spectacular.
This is must-see action!
Valerie Letourneau vs Viviane Pereira
Canadian strawweight Valerie Letourneau will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses. She was TKO’d by Joanne Calderwood in a flyweight bout. Before that, she challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk for her strawweight belt, and she short after a 25 minute back-and-forth fight. Now, Letourneau faces UFC debutee Viviane Pereira back at strawweight.
At 11-0, Pereira could be a prospect, but Leourneau is a steep test for her first taste of UFC-level talent. Letourneau is a very large strawweight with solid striking skills and a physical ground game. Pereira holds the majority of her wins by decision, but has some TKO victories too. However, Pereira stands at a stocky 5-foot tall while Letourneau is seven inches taller. Letourneau often finds herself in exciting fights, so don’t miss this!
Zach Makovsky vs John Moraga
In a flyweight bout, previously touted top contenders Zach Makvosky and John Moraga will battle to see who gets to snap their respective two-fight losing streak. Makovsky was defeated by John Dodson and Joseph Benavidez, and Moraga was defeated by Joseph Benavidez and Matheus Nicolau. Both fighters are not just in search of a win here, but also an impressive performance. The flyweight division is very shallow, so a big win for either man could propel pretty far. It doesn’t take much to become relevant at 125 lbs.
Prelims
While the UFC 206 fight card prelims aren’t incredibly strong, there are a couple worth noting. The first is John Makdessi vs Lando Vannata. With experience on his side, the French-Canadian Makdessi will look to get his second win of the year. Lando Vannata stands as a formidable test despite being 0-1 in the UFC. Vannata, a fighter from the Jackson/Winklejohn camp, came in on short notice against top contender Tony Ferguson; Vannata nearly had Ferguson finished in the first round of their fight, and looks to be an exciting prospect.
Another bout I’m looking forwad to on the prelims is Jason Saggo vs Rustam Khabilov. Saggo is on a two-fight win streak while Khabilov is on a three-fight win streak. This looks like it could be a very evenly matched fight as Khabilov has some very legit grappling skills and power. Saggo however has an incredibly aggressive submission game. This should be a fun one.
Stay tuned to Get More Sports for more UFC 206 fight card news! Thanks for reading!
