UFC 206 turned in one of the best events of the year. The interim featherweight title was on the line in the main event, but the real value came from the entertaining match ups which filled the rest of the card. The 18,000+ Toronto fans made for quite the exciting atmosphere; this was definitely a night to remember. If you missed what went down last night, here are the UFC 206 results:
Main Card
Max Holloway takes out Anthony Pettis to claim interim title
Holloway and Pettis traded shot-for-shot for the better part of three rounds, but in the end Holloway was too much. The stoppage came late in the third round when Holloway landed two kicks to the body. Pettis covered up against the cage, and allowed Holloway to tee with shots to the head and liver. Pettis had nothing else to give, and was rescued by the ref. Unfortunately, Pettis broke his right hand early in the fight; this partly explains his disappointing performance, but another factor is that Pettis had a rough weight cut. Pettis ended up missing weight as he claimed his body gave out while trying to drop the last few pounds. This resulted in Pettis being fatigued late in the fight.
Donald Cerrone head kick KOs Matt Brown
In a Performance of the Night worthy showing, “Cowboy” Cerrone moved his welterweight streak to four straight with four finishes. It didn’t come easy though as Brown had his moments in the fight. Brown even dropped Cerrone with an overhand right, and threatened him with a tight triangle choke. Cerrone was not going to be denied though, and fought his way out. There was a big speed discrepency between the two which saw Cerrone hurt Brown multiple times with his left high kick. Eventually, Cerrone’s kick found its mark one too many times, and put Brown out cold early in the third round.
Cub Swanson out-duels Doo Ho Choi in Fight of the Year candidate
Out of all the UFC 206 results, this one is the one people are going to talk about for a long time. UFC prospect Choi came into this fight full of confidence, ready to become a star. We knew he had the ability to starch long-time contender Swanson with his trademark right hand. But you can’t count an old dog out.
Swanson used his unorthodox movement and chaotic attacks to overwhelm Choi, and smash him with overhand rights. Swanson was rocked a few times in the fight, and had to dig deep to go back on the offensive. Choi was seemingly out on his feet multiple times in the fight, and somehow survived until the final bell. It was a gutsy, heart-felt performance by both men. Swanson took home the sound unanimous decision from the judges, clearly winning rounds two and three.
Kelvin Gastelum TKOs Tim Kennedy
In an inspiring performance, former welterweight contender Gastelum took out ranked middleweight Kennedy. Following some mishaps with his weight, it was unclear if Gastelum was going to be able to fight at 170 lbs anymore. Seemingly banished to the middleweight division, Gastelum made the most with his back against the wall.
Kennedy’s grappling skills were evident from the beginning; he controlled Gastelum in the clinch, and dominated him early on the mat. However, the heavily muscled frame of Kennedy left him fatigued in round two. We know Gastelum is a fast-paced pressure fight which was a nightmare for Kennedy. Gastelum eventually started to get off with the same crisp boxing we saw him use against Johny Hendricks. The shots begin to rack up, and Kennedy wilted midway through the third round prompting the referee stoppage.
Emil Weber Meek defeats Jordan Mein in UFC debut
The highly-anticipated UFC debut of Emil Meek was a successful one. The Norweigian ate some of the Canadian’s best shots, stayed aggressive, and dominated Mein in the later rounds. This was Mein’s return from retirement, and it was not a good look for him. Meek walked him down on the feet, landed some solid shots, and took over when he secured top position. Mein offered nothing from his back, and allowed Meek to secure the decision win. We know Meek can be a bit of reckless brawler, but he showed great composure in his UFC debut. His wrestling looked solid, and he showed a heavy top game. He didn’t get a finish, but he soundly defeated a talented fighter in Jordan Mein.
Prelims
Misha Cirkunov chokes out Nikita Krylov
Headlining the Fox Sports 1 portion of the prelims was this light heavyweight tilt. This fight was supposed to produce the next big thing in the shallow 205 lb division, and I believe it did. Cirkunov had an excellent performance as he took out Krylov late in the first round. Cirkunov bullied Krylov around the Octagon, got the better of the grappling exchanges, and eventually staggered him with a straight left. He then wrapped up the arm-in guillotine and put the death squeeze on the Ukranian.
“Groovy” Lando Vannata KOs John Makdessi
Headlining the Fight Pass portion of the event was this pairing of skilled strikers. Both Vannata and Makdessi are known for their karate skills, but it was Vannata who got to put it on display. This maks Vannata 1-1 in the UFC after he took on top ranked Tony Ferguson on short notice for his debut.
Early on, Vannata backed Makdessi up with side kicks to the legs. This was all a set up for the spinning hook kick which he planted on Makdessi’s chin. It was a perfect connection – heel to chin. The Canadian fell like a stiff board ala Terry Etim/Edson Barboza, and just like that we have a prospect. If you don’t know about ‘Groovy’ Vannata, you better get to know.
An easy candidate for Knockout of the Year, and an easy recipient of Performance of the Night.
That’s all for UFC 206 results. Stay tuned to GetMoreSports for more UFC coverage!
