UFC 206 Holloway vs. Pettis: Picks, Prognostications, + Odds

December 10, 2016

Air Canada Centre

Toronto, Canada

     Well, there's no Georges St.-Pierre, no Daniel Cormier, no Rashad Evans, and a pointless Interim title, but this card soldiers on with some interesting match ups anyway. We have murderer Misha Cirkunov getting a true test in Nikita Krylov, Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis, and "Cowboy" Cerrone versus Matt Brown which is worth the price of admission alone. And who isn't interested in the return of Lando Calrissian for god's sake? Fun times ahead and on to the picking game.

Main Card on PPV:

Interim Featherweight Title

#3 Max Holloway (16-3) -210 vs. #6 Anthony Pettis (19-5) +175

Maxi has been on an absolute tear through the Featherweight division winning 9 in a row against top tier competition. "Blessed" has honed his already impressive boxing skills and has become near impossible to take, and hold down. Holloway also stated Jens "Lil Evil" Pulver is his favorite fighter so MMAFO gives him props for that!

"Showtime" is the "golden boy" for the UFC. The company has done everything in their power to push this cat to the front of the business despite a 3 fight losing streak which included the loss of the 155 strap. "Pretty Tony" made a move down to 145's in search of greener pastures and the UFC obliged. Anthony is an exciting fighter with some of the most creative striking in the game and he has never been finished in his career.

This should be an exciting fight and did not need to be saddled with another pointless "Interim" title that the UFC erroneously believes will sell more PPV's. Jose Aldo is the real Featherweight Champion and has earned the distinction while these men are competing for what is really the #1 contendership. Anywho, both men are electrifying offensive warriors who will throw with abandon. The difference may be that Max lands at a higher clip, more often, and is the more technically sound striker. This is really a coin-flip match but we've seen foes stymy Tony by backing him up which is something Holloway is good at. This should be a lot of fun but we're riding with the streaking and red hot Hawaiian.

WINNER-Max Holloway by Decision

* Anthony Pettis is the 1st man to miss weight for a "title fight" since Travis Lutter in '07. Now only Max has the ability to earn the nonsensical "interim" belt. Nice to see "Showtime" eating steak on the Embedded videos and coming in only a day before the weigh-ins. Moron.

#10 Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1) -290 vs. Matt Brown (20-15) +245

Oh, the fun brutality! Both of these cats do not give a fuck and are outlaws in MMA. Let's be honest in that we expect brilliant violence here though both men having a weakness in getting hit to the body. In the end, Cerrone is the better all around fighter with more deadly tools in his holsters. Brown has been training with Duane Ludwig which is good, but he is still limited. The "Cowboy" enjoys a good brawl but wrecks Brown with body kicks before following him to the mat for a sub.

WINNER-Donald Cerrone by Rd.2 Submission

#5 Cub Swanson (23-7) +190 vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-1) -230

"The Korean Superboy" gets his 1st real test in the UFC stepping up to fight perennial contender Swanson. Choi has been pinpoint accurate thus far with precision punching containing knockout power. 

"Cubby" seemed destined for a title shot until '14 and '15 saw him stall out against Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway along with dealing with multiple injuries. Now, the Jackson-Wink fighter has rebounded winning back to back bouts.

Though Cub has a weakness on the ground this fight ain't going there. Both of these men want to thump. It just seems as though Swanson's time has passed while Doo is on the come up. Look for the Korean killer to land often and big putting Cub on skates for a finish that puts him in real contention. Up, up, and away.

WINNER-Doo Ho Choi by Rd.2 TKO

Tim Kennedy (18-5) -135 vs. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2) +115

Kelvin "Fatty" Gastelum steps in for Rashad Evans and hopefully he can make weight at 185 after failing multiple times at 170. Kelvin has developed into a pretty good fighter if he could just be professional and put it all together. 

Mr. Kennedy has been away for a couple of years and had one foot out the door to retirement before being lured back in hopes of facing "Suga." Tim isn't an exciting fighter but he's always in shape and looking to avenge his bullshit defeat in '14 against constant cheater Yoel Romero.

Motivated or not, Gastelum should be a better fighter. Kelvin is a better grappler and both have average striking. MMAFO never backs a guy contemplating quitting and "No Gas" Gastelum should have every opportunity to win here provided he can reign in his girth.

Upset Pick WINNER-Kelvin Gastelum by Decision

* Let's all stand up and cheer for Gastelum who actually made weight for a fight! Yay!

Jordan Mein (26-10) -155 vs. Emil Meek (8-2-1) +135

Let's welcome young Jordan Mein back from an early retirement and the debut of Rousimar Palhares killer Emil Meek for an interesting bout!

"Young Gun" "retired" in January of '15 but we all knew it wouldn't last. Mein is a born fighter who just needed a respite from action to recharge the batteries. MMAFO loves us some savage standing elbows and Jordan has some of the best in the game. The Canadian is a brawler with no fear.

The "Valhalla Army" will be coming with Emil all the way from Norway. Meek has become quite popular since besting the universally hated Palhares but he may not be ready for this level quite yet. There is much viking power inside Emil but he lacks other necessary skills including experience.

We're very happy to have Mein back and he's going to run game on Meek provided he doesn't do something stupid like running headfirst into a punch from Hel (spelled correctly look it up).

WINNER-Jordan Mein by Decision

mishac911 (Instagram)

Prelims on FS1:

Misha Cirkunov (12-2) -120 vs. Nikita Krylov (21-4) +100

MMAFO cannot decide if we truly believe Misha is a contender at 205, or if we're just terrified of the monster. The Latvian has won 7 in a row and is a physical freak. Dude has crazy power but he has also added submissions training at Xtreme Couture. 

Who would've thunk that the "Miner"would still be employed by the UFC in '16 let alone be on a 5 fight winning streak? Le Femme Nikita has developed quite nicely using his lanky frame to submit opponents with shocking efficiency.

We have been on the Cirkunov bandwagon since the jump and we're not bailing until he gives us permission to do so. Miesha will need to stay off the ground and stick to the plan which he does well.

WINNER-Miesha Cirkunov by Decision

Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) -170 vs. Drew Dober (17-7) +150

The "Doberman" is one of those guys we are always surprised to see still in the UFC. He's not great or bad, just average.

OAM was supposed to be the Lightweight GSP but he has disappointed going 4-2 and boring the crap outta everyone.

"The Quebec Kid" may be monotonous creature but he is solid in his skills. Ollie will control Drew on the mat while the crowd enjoys a bathroom break.

WINNER-Oliver Aubin-Mercier by Decision

#10 Valerie Letourneau (8-5) -190 vs. Viviane Pereira (11-0) +165

ATT's "Trouble" is in it after losing 2 in a row. Don't let her record fool you, Val is an ever improving fighter with a lot of skills.

"Sucuri" is undefeated and gets her shot at the big time. Viviane is a wee 5'0" and will need a step stool to reach Valerie.

This is a crazy size disadvantage but even so, Letourneau is the better more well rounded competitor and will hold court.

WINNER-Valerie Letourneau by Decision

Mitch Gagnon (12-3) -155 vs. Matthew Lopez (8-1) +135

Gagnon has been M.I.A. for 2 years since losing to Renan Pegado. Mitch is a submission artist who has tapped 11 men out of his 12 wins. Provided the Canadian hasn't been out smoking crack for 2 years, he'll find the sub before time expires.

WINNER-Mitch Gagnon by Rd.1 Submission

Prelims on Fight Pass:

John Makdessi (14-5) +160 vs. Landon Vannata (8-1) -185

"The Bull" has been stumbling around 155's for 6 years amassing a 7-5 record for the UFC. 

"Lando" had never tasted defeat until he showed up on short notice and almost stopped top contender Tony Ferguson in July. It was an exciting affair and we're all interested to see what "Groovy" can do with a full camp and a more manageable opponent.

"Lando" has more creativity than John who is quite robotic and predictable in his approach. Vannata gonna bring the power of the Rebel Alliance with him sending Makdessi to Cloud City. 

WINNER-Landon Vannata by Rd.3 Submission

Jason Saggo (12-2) +180 vs. Rustam Khabilov (20-3) -220

"Hobby Lobby" has gone 6-2 in the big time and is a stellar striker who is just far too tentative. Rustam trains with Jackson-Wink and he is technically beautiful, but oh the lack out output.

Saggo has gone 3-1 in the UFC only stumbling against the durable Paul Felder. Jason keeps opponents at length with kicks until he swoops in using his Jiu-Jitsu to tap you out.

Pundits are hyped on Saggo but the guy's striking is base though slightly improved and "Tiger" is hard to takedown. Khabilov remains upright and touches up Jason doing so in a steady but uninspiring performance.

WINNER-Rustam Khabilov by Decision

* Khabilov missed weight on his initial try and now has few hours to try and get on point. We'll watch and see if he can be a professional.

#8 Zach Makovsky (19-7) -160 vs. Dustin Ortiz (15-6) +140

A great Flyweight pairing with two cats who are great competitors but in desperate need of a win. Both can scramble like mad men and though Ortiz has a slight edge in power, "Fun Size" never stops coming and mixes up his offense well. The Mak will be on the attack getting back to basics and winning on the cards.

WINNER-Zach Makovsky by Decision

UFC 206 Start Times
Main Card on Pay-Per-View: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Preliminary Card on FOX Sports 1: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Preliminary Card on UFC Fight Pass: 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT