Despite the Daniel Cormier – Anthony Rumble Johnson Light Heavyweight Title fight falling through due to the Champion’s injury, UFC 206 promises to be a card filled with mouthwatering stylistic match-ups to keep fight fans on the edge of their seats.
As we hone in on the event, join us for all the action, results and highlights, right from the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims to the main card.
By the way, refresh once every 5 minutes. We’ll be posting the play-by-play after each fight gets over. So 5 mins, just in case it’s an early stoppage. Else, please read a few of our other MMA articles to keep you busy while we get you up to speed with what’s happening at UFC 206.
Read Also: Max Holloway vs Anthony Pettis: Keys to victory
And, in case you’re a hardcore MMA fan: The Imperfection of Greatness – Jon Bones Jones
UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims
Men’s Flyweight Fight: #7 Zach Makovsky vs #11 Dustin Ortiz
They begin the first of the night’s fights, and as always with the Flyweights, it seems like someone hit the fast forward button. They circle around each other, feinting and throwing out single strikes to get the other fighter to bite, before Ortiz clinches up and pushes Makovsky towards the cage.
After jostling for position a little, with neither man able to advance sufficiently, they break and continue circling each other. Ortiz manages to secure Makovsky’s back and takes him down, looking to get the choke from behind.
Makovsky, however, fights out and lands a double leg takedown of his own in the scramble that ensues. Ortiz manages to squirm towards the cage and find his way to his feet, before pushing up against his opponent and landing nice knees to the body.
They break once again, but Ortiz is still on the front foot. Not for too long however, as Makovsky level changes as Ortiz comes in and takes him down. However, he isn’t able to maintain superior position as Ortiz ends up on top to run down the clock for Round 1.
All action. My fingers hurt from trying to type everything I see.
Round 2. Let’s go.
Makovsky, with Firas Zahabi’s wisdom freshly imbued in his head, starts off Round 2 with a couple of kicks before landing a takedown following a level change. However, nothing significant comes out of it as they scramble up to the feet almost immediately.
Ortiz is relentless again, as he pushes Makovsky towards the cage and lands a leg trip of his own. Makovsky scrambles and manages to threaten briefly with an arm lock before Ortiz sweeps him and takes his back. He secures a body triangle with his feet and starts raining down punches from behind.
Just when it looks like Makovsky is in a precarious position, almost at the verge of giving up his neck, he turns expertly into Ortiz and breaks the body lock to bring the fight back onto the feet.
Makovsky immediately presses and takes Ortiz down, but cannot take his back as Ortiz shakes him off before pushing him against the cage and landing a nice knee to the body. Round 2 clocks out.
Action from Round 3 as Ortiz looks to be on the verge of pulling off an upset.
Makovsky opens with a nice right hook, but no real volume in the output from either man. No sooner have I typed that out, does Makovsky shot for a single leg and also gets Ortiz down, but not without getting his neck caught in a guillotine attempt.
Nothing materialises from that for Ortiz, but he does manage to stall Makovsky’s advance on the ground sufficiently to make it back to their feet. But as has been the manner of this fight, neither fighter tries to press the advantage on the feet and they clinch again.
Yet another scramble with both Ortiz and Makovsky exchanging takedowns. This hasn’t been a stand-and-bang war by any stretch of imagination, but it has been a highly technical grappling contest.
Makovsky wrestles Ortiz to the ground with 20 seconds on the clock, but as he has done throughout all three rounds, Ortiz ends up on top in the scramble and finishes the fight dominantly.
Result: Dustin Ortiz def. Zach Makovsky via SD (29-28,28-29,29-28)
Men’s Lightweight Fight: Jason Saggo vs Rustam Khabilov
Khabilov, unfortunately, didn’t make weight and Joe Rogan reels off his thoughts on the issue of weight-cutting; make no mistake, it’s certainly one of the most problematic quandries in MMA today.
Jason Saggo, who is from Canada, obviously has the crowd on his side. But will the fight go his way as well?
Khabilov opens up with a couple of wild strikes, an ambitious kick and an overhand right that barely misses, but Saggo seems to be maintaining his distance well. He’s potshotting the Dagestani fighter with the occasional leg kick but neither fighter seems to really want to push the pace.
Saggo tries a kick to the body, that is caught and punished with a couple of winging shots in riposte. He doesn’t back away, however, and fakes a low kick to go to Khabilov’s head with a kick that almost sneaks through. Blocked just in time though.
Khabilov has had enough of the frivolties and shoots for a double leg. If you haven’t noticed, Dagestani fighters get a takedown when they want one. Saggo, however, is no slouch in the ground as Joe Rogan informs us, and proves it by completely locking down Khabilov in his guard to close out the round without taking much damage at all.
Round 2. It just seems like this something is about to give in this fight. Let’s see.
Khabilov is on the backfoot in this round, willing to concede control of the center of the Octagon to Saggo, who capitalises with a nice shot to the body. Even as his coaches are clearly audible, telling him to keep the Dagestani fighter’s back to the cage.
However Khabilov seems to have sensed the gameplans and comes forward with a little more output of his own. There is a takedown coming. That much is sure. What remains to be seen is how he sets it up with his strikes. Ah. Almost on cue.
He takes Saggo a little by surprise by level changing in the center of the Octagon and taking him down. Saggo seems more than willing to welcome him into his guard. They jostle for position a little, and when it becomes obvious that neither fighter can establish clear dominance on the ground, Khabilov lets him back up and flurries with a bunch of rights and lefts.
That hurt Saggo. Just to rub it in, Saggo gets taken down again as Khabilov closes out Round 2 on top.
That’s 2-0 to Khabilov in my book, but hey, I’m not a judge. They’re too crazy for me, to be honest.
Saggo opens up much more positively in Round 3 with a couple of nice right hooks, but Khabilov seems to strafe clear of any real damage each time. Khabilov seems to be biding his time to land that takedown but that doesn’t prevent him from trading punches with Saggo.
They circle the Octagon, with Saggo walking forward, and that proves to be his undoing again as Khabilov changes levels again to land the customary takedown-a-round. Saggo looks to lock him down using the rubber guard and thus far, it seems to be working.
Khabilov, however, manages to posture up and land the occasional shot while maintaining top position. One minute left as Khabilov chases for the finish but Saggo manages to scramble back to his feet.
Before they can start striking, Khabilov shoots for another takedown which is almost converted into a beautiful armbar by Saggo. It’s Khabilov’s turn to scramble, but he does it masterfully and reverses the position to escape the attempt.
He takes Saggo down again, as the clock winds down, just to underline his dominance in the fight. Easy win for Khabilov.
Result: Rustam Khabilov def. Jason Saggo via UD (30-27,30-27,30-27)
Men’s Lightweight Fight: John Makdessi vs Lando Vannata
Groovy, groove Lando Vannata is back. For those of you who don’t remember him, he is the fighter that took the Tony Ferguson fight on short notice and almost knocked him out in the first round. That guy.
And he’s up against John Makdessi, who is certainly game. This should be a highly entertaining fight. Fingers crossed.
Vannata is loose and limber, as we expect him to be and seems to want to close the distance with a right hook before waltzing away. Till now, however, no success as Makdessi is keeping him honest with an accurate jab.
OUT OF NOWHERE! Spinning wheel kick from Vannata hits Makdessi square on his face. That’s it! Makdessi is OUT cold. Edson Barboza, move over. That is the new highlight reel that will be featured as a poster move for the UFC.
Wow. The hype is real. Groovy Lando Vannata does his nickname justice. That was a Uriah Hall, Edson Barboza-esque spinning wheel kick.
Result: Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi via KO in Round 1
UFC FS1 Prelims
Men’s Bantamweight Fight: Mitch Gagnon vs Matthew Lopez
Canadian Gagnon against the American Lopez. No prizes for guessing on whose side the crowd is on. Another fight which looks like someone touched up the fast forward button. These two fighters are winging punches when they come into range, and they aren’t averse to clinching either.
Just as this fight seems to get scruffy, Gagnon hits Lopez with left hook out of nowhere and drops him! Lopez is on his knees, and desperately scrambling to better his position as Gagnon flurries and looks to finish him.
The referee, however, desists on calling the fight and allows it to continue. Gagnon looks to take Lopez’s back and choke him out but Lopez manages to recover sufficiently to turn out of it and end up on top.
They scramble back to their feet and Gagnon looks to attack with that left hook again, even as Lopez ventures forward with a kick to the stomach that is caught and causes him to get taken down. They both see out the round clasping on to each other’s foot with a heel lock. Close shave for Lopez in this round, but has Gagnon burnt out his arms in an unsuccessful attempt to finish the fight?
Round 2 and Lopez wades forward, betraying no sign of the damage that he sustained in the first round. Gagnon shoots for a takedown twice and Lopez manages to ride the momentum and sweep him on both occasions, ending up on top.
Lopez postures up and looks to land hard shots, but is met with an armbar attempt from Gagnon followed up nasty upkicks that almost connect with his face. Still, Lopez persists and gets into his guard, looking to maintain position.
Gagnon tries to scramble, but Lopez uses it to get his back and land heavy shots, before locking in a RNC. That choke looks tight, but Gagnon is doing well to fight the arms and manages to extricate them from his neck.
Lopez in no mood to relent, however, and transitions to full mount, only to be met by more resistance from Gagnon who is trying to buck him and get back to his feet. He is partially successful, before Lopez takes him down again and finishes Round 2 on top.
That’s 1 round a piece.
Round 3 starts with...OUCH! That’s a painful, painful low blow. Lopez eats a nasty kick to his jewels from Gagnon, and veers away in pain, screaming. That looked nasty. Lopez takes a minute to recover, before deeming himself fit to resume.
They touch gloves and get back into the fight, and Lopez immediately takes him down. He transitions over from taking Gagnon’s back and a mount position, but never ceding top control.
This is smart fighting by Lopez, but he can’t hold the Canadian down forever, as they both get back to their feet. Gagnon is looking for that left hook again, and Lopez has him scouted this time as he ducks away from danger, but not before landing a couple of counter strikes of their own.
They wing punches in the pocket for a bit, before Gagnon looks to try and take Lopez down against the cage. Unsuccessful, but Lopez returns fire with a double leg of his own, which puts Gagnon on his bottom. Lopez closes out the fight in top position, looking for a submission, and probably takes Round 3 and the fight as well.
Good comeback from Lopez, should the judges score it 2-1 in favour of him as I did.
That low blow, though it was bad, will never top the pure cringe-worthiness of this:
Result: Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon via UD (29-28,29-28,29-27)
Women’s Flyweight Fight: #9 Valerie Letourneau vs Viviane Pereira
Letourneau can certainly go, as we found out in her fight against Joanna Champion, but she did miss weight for this fight. Let’s see how that affects her. They both circle each other cautiously, neither willing to commit, as they look to get a read first up.
Pereira tries to leave a kick out there, which is caught by Letourneau and results in her being deposited onto her back. Letourneau establishes top position, and being a much bigger fighter, it isn’t really that hard for her.
She lands a few strikes on the ground but Pereira manages to ger back to her feet and they clinch. Letourneau dwarves Pereira to be honest, but that doesn’t prevent the Brazilian from pushing her up against the cage and holding her there to see out the first round.
The second round begins much in the same way the first one did, with both fighters unwilling to stray into the pocket, and instead, looking to establish range with sparse strikes. This isn’t doing much for either fighter to be honest.
Joe Rogan is having to be generous in labelling near misses as strikes. I guess that tells you all you need to know about the fight...oh! What’s happening here? Viviane Pereira uses a nice leg trip to take Letourneau down from the clinch and attempts to advance her position. No success, as they get back to their feet and continue with the shadow boxing to close out the round. *Yawn*
Thank god someone has reminded them that this is a fight, as both of them come out with what appears to be more intent in Round 3. The sad part is that the air is the only entity feeling the sting from those punches that just AREN’T landing. For both of them.
For some reason, both these fighters are convinced that striking is the best way to keep the other one away from them. Not to hit them with, but to repel them. Almost like an electric fence would.
I can’t seem to understand how the crowd hasn’t started booing yet. They must really love Valerie. Bet the judges won’t though. This fight is hard to call. How would you even determine the winner? I guess you can know everything there is to this fight from Joe Rogan’s long silence, while Goldberg prattles on about some gym.
The final 10 seconds of the fight are the most eventful, undoubtedly, as both fighters take half a step towards each other and wing punches. They’re still hitting air mostly though. TJ Dillashaw would be proud. Bleah.
Result: Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau via SD (28-29,29-28,29-28)
That fight probably takes the cake for the most boring fight of the year. Congratulations.
Men’s Lightweight Fight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs Drew Dober
Joe Rogan plugs Dober’s striking skills, and the fact that he is a Muay Thai world champion. Dober is stalking AM (short for Aubin-Mercier) here, and while neither fighter seems to be landing volume, AM does rock Dober with a well-placed left check hook before circling away from him.
As Dober momentarily loses his footing and finds it just as quickly, AM’s punch does open up a cut on his face, causing him to bleed freely. Dober is struggling here as he gets tagged twice more by that left from AM, when he looks to close the distance.
For a fighter known predominantly for his ground skills, AM has really held his own on the feet, en route to possibly taking Round 1.
Round two starts, and it couldn’t be more different from the first! Drew Dober drops AM almost immediately off the bat with a left hand and enters his guard to try and pound him out. AM, however, locks him in and uses a leg lock to sweep him and end up on top.
He doesn’t seem to be hurt by that punch now, and the fight is exactly where he would want it. Almost effortlessly, he transitions to Dober’s back and locks in a nasty body lock to keep him from escaping. It is only a matter of time before he finds a way past Dober’s handfighting to slide his arm across his neck and wrap up the rear naked choke.
Dober taps and AM delivers one on the board for Canada. Finally.
Result: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober via Sumbission in Round 2
Men’s Light Heavyweight Fight: #8 Nikita Krylov vs #13 Misha Cirkunov
The crowd comes alive with chants for Misha, as the two fighters circle each other, looking to be the first one to get off. They both try to throw with power but neither is connecting at the moment, even as Misha ducks under a head kick attempt from Krylov and shoots for a takedown, which he gets.
They stay on the ground only briefly as Krylov wall walks his way back to his feet. Before anything of note can happen, however, Cirkunov takes him down again. And again, he isn’t able to hold Krylov down for long.
It’s Krylov’s turn to shoot for a takedown once they get back up, but he isn’t able to advance his position either as Cirkunov sweeps him brilliantly to steal top position. And I feel I’m repeating myself again (because I am), but they scramble back up again without much joy on the ground for either of them.
This time however, almost out of nowhere, the always-forward Cirkunov rocks Krylov badly with a straight left, before clasping on a guillotine choke, tight. Krylov has no other option but to tap out. Solid show and good win here for Cirkunov. More joy for the Canadian audience.
Result: Misha Cirkunov def. Nikita Krylov via submission in Round 1
Main Card
Men’s Welterweight Fight: Jordan Mein vs Emil Meek
A returning Jordan Mein takes on Emil Meek in the first fight of the main card, and predictably, it’s all action. This is a brawl to start off with, both of them throwing uninhibitedly, before Mein level changes and shoots a single leg takedown that is successful.
Mein tries to establish north south position before Meek can scramble away and get it back onto the feet. They exchange punches, with Mein landing a nice step in elbow and Meek hitting him with a brutal one-two, Wanderlei Silva style in reply.
Wait for it. Mein laughs it off as he sidesteps Meek flying in with a jumping knee. Wow. What a fight already, as Round 1 winds down.
It looks like Meek hurt his ribs during that round, so we’ll just have to see how that plays out over the duration of the fight.
Round 2, and Meek is on the front foot, stepping to Mein and looking to throw with abandon. Mein, on the other hand, looks rather stunned from the punches he ate at the end of the first and seems a little passive as he allows himself to be taken down by Meek.
Meek is trying to advance position, but Mein seems to be locking him down and content to just play defence for the time being. Is this a tactic? If so, there is something for Mein to worry about, as Meek looks to lock in an arm triangle.
Good hip escape by Mein, but Meek is still on top, and looking to land a few shots from a position of advantage. Mein practically gifted that round to Meek through his passivity. Weird much?
Third and final round starts with Meek still pushing the pace, but Mein seems more inclined to trade with him. They briefly exchange shots before Meek takes Mein down again, and it’s almost as though Round 2 is playing out before our eyes again.
Meek is trying to advance position, but Mein is just holding him down. How uneventful this fight has turned out, after a rollicking start in Round 1. Meek is doing enough to ensure that referee Mirgliotta isn’t standing them up, just as Mein locks in a lock-down kimura with 20 seconds to go.
Meek, the wildman that he is, lifts Mein up with his hand in a compromised situation and slams him on the floor, literally single-handedly, before pandering to the crowd as the clock runs itself down.
Started brilliantly, but petered out. Sigh.
Result: Emil Meek def. Jordan Mein via UD (29-28,29-28,29-28)
Roman Reigns, are you taking notes?
Men’s Middleweight Fight: #10 Tim Kennedy vs Kelvin Gastelum
Kennedy looks huge here compared to Gastelum, and the difference in size and strength is made apparent when he lays into Kelvin using kicks before cornering him against the cage and pretty much riding him for 3 minutes.
Joe Rogan talks about how “unprofessional” Kelvin Gastelum has been with his weight issues, even as Kennedy has his back and repeatedly knees his ass. Yes, you read that right. Poetic.
However, Kelvin patiently wears it out and breaks out with an explosive turn, before lighting Kennedy up with his boxing in the last minute and a half of the round. He really caught him with a few punches there, and Tim barely made it out of that round.
Round 2 starts on a pretty much similar vein, with Kennedy going in wrestling heavy, but Gastelum looks better prepared for it this time round. He manages to avert the takedown, before taking the fight back to the feet.
Once on the feet, Kennedy looks like he’s trudging through mud – slow and laboured – while Gastelum looks sprite and light on his feet, rallying with his boxing and beautiful in-and-out movement. Kennedy looks really gassed and barely makes it out of round two as well.
Round 3, and Gastelum comes out swinging for the fences. He wants the finish and he wants it bad. Kennedy is hanging on by the skin of his teeth, as he looks to survive the onslaught by Gastelum. Kelvin, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to want to force the issue and is content to pick his shots.
The good thing for him is that they are all landing. Kennedy staggers away, hoping to create distance between him and Gastelum, but its just a matter of time now. Gastelum pops off a beautiful one-two and Kennedy sinks to his knees, just unable to take any more. The referee steps in mercifully.
Result: Kelvin Gastelum def. Tim Kennedy via TKO in Round 3
Men’s Featherweight Fight: #4 Cub Swanson vs #10 Dooho Choi
Two dangerous strikers. Something has to give. Choi takes it to Swanson right out of the gate by landing a few strikes and knees in the clinch. Swanson isn’t a spring chicken and he tagged Choi with an overhead right followed by a spinning heel kick that missed its mark by a whisker. Choi’s McGregor-esque style is quite evident with the way he’s throwing with piston like precision and the first round ends with the Korean babyface killer with the most strikes.
Swanson’s camp tells him to exploit Choi’s visible inability to fight going backwards. Choi goes on the offensive right from the onset with a left-right combination with the jabs to open up Swanson. Swanson‘s unorthodox style enabled him to land an epic combination of his own. What follows is a brawl of the highest order as both men threw haymakers at each other; both refusing to go down, while getting the crowd on their feet. UFC just found a star in Choi as the fans in Toronto chanted for the Korean sensation in unison. He is indeed legit! The round ends with both men pulling out all stops by hurting each other by showcasing some of the best no-holds-barred striking you’d ever see.
After a breathtaking second round, Swanson goes for the spinning elbow to begin the third. Swanson shot for the double leg takedown, but Choi stuffs it and lands a left. He takes Swanson down from the back, but Swanson passes guard and gets on top. He gets back on his feet and lands a few strikes before Choi too gets back up.
Swanson lands another lethal combination to rock Choi, but he gets wobbly but doesn’t go down. Choi lands a left-right combination of his and continues to pepper Swanson with the jab. Swanson answers with a bomb of his own. The back and forth action continues as the exhausted warriors put on a stand-up clinic. The significant strikes 20 seconds before the hooter read 97 a piece. Swanson lands a superman punch, a few epic haymakers and a roundhouse kick, but even that couldn’t take Choi down. Does he have a chin or what!
Swanson went on a final flurry to nearly finish Choi by taking him down with a hip toss, but the Korean prodigy showed incredible resilience and an insanely strong chin to see off the round. The fans are on their feet. What.A.Fight! As Joe Rogan says it, this is the fight of the year; hands down!
Result: Cub Swanson def. Dooho Choi via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Men’s Welterweight Fight: #5 Donald Cerrone vs #14 Matt BrownMatt Brown
Brown looks to be the first man to beat Cowby at 170 and this fight promises to be a solid encounter, maybe not as good as the one the preceded it, but great nonetheless. The bad blodd betweenthe two going into the fight meant that this would surely be a three-round war.
Matt Brown stars the round off well against a notoriously slow beginner in Cerrone, by getting into the pocket and landing a few good jabs.
The total significant strikes stand at 29 for Cerrone while Brown holds the edge with 31. Both men scoring points with the jabs and hooks. Brown momentarily rocks Cerrone to his knees with an overhand right, but Cowboy revuperates quickly to keep up the pressure. Cowboy lands a few good kicks to the legs and the body. Brown too gets floored for a brief moment as he gets caught by Cerrone’s high kick.
The Immortal has a cut on the right eye as looks to see the round off. Duane Ludwig riles up Brown to take it to Cerrone and use some body shots. The thrid round kicks off with Brown finally shaking Cerrone’s hand and hugging him and Cowboy likes it as he fires the crowd up for the final five minutes.
The neck-and-neck contest ends 1 minute into the third round when Cowboy lands an epic headkick right to the chin of Brown to earn a TKO victory. He set the kick up perfectly with a jab and lands at the sweetest of all spots.
Result: Donald Cerrone def. Matt Brown via KO (R3 Headkick)
Men’s Interim Featherweight Title Fight: #2 Max Holloway vs #5 Anthony Pettis
And, after what seems to be an eternity, we arrive at the cusp of the main event tonight - the Interim Featherweight Title fight between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis. Well, at least for the Hawaiian it is. Pettis just has to do with the victory if he gets the job done, but no belt.
Bruce Buffer makes the introductions, and we are good to go. Holloway instantly shows his good movement by keeping his distance. Holloway goes for an oblique kick to maintain separation. Pettis pulls out his trademark kicks with some flashy combinations.
A southpaw Pettis throws a body kick while Holloway keeps coming in and out. Showtime almost lands a beautiful spinning 360 kick.
The rest of the round is predominated by the same theme; Pettis leading with kicks and sporadic punches, but Holloway weaving away and countering with nice punches. He opens up a cut on Pettis’ face, as Round 1 pipes down.
Round 2 begins on the same note as Pettis keeps walking into Holloway’s boxing combinations, and doesn’t seem to have much reply to it apart from these push kicks that maintain distance more than anything. Pettis’ eye is busted up pretty badly, and even goes down once from a counter from Holloway. He isn’t hurt too bad and the fight continues on the feet when Holloway refuses to have anything to do with his guard.
Holloway fighting smart here, as Pettis resorts to wrestling, looking to grind the Hawaiian against the cage and take him down. Unsuccessful, and Round 2 in the books.
Round 3 as Duke Roufus tells Pettis to use his kicks more. In all fairness, he could already be 2 rounds down. Round 3 kicks off, literally as well, with Pettis opening up with a flurry of kicks and Holloway on the defensive.
However, the momentum is halted when Holloway lands an accidental knee to Pettis’ groin, prompting a break in action briefly. On the other side, Pettis goes wrestling heavy to try and head off Holloway, and follows up with a display of astute jabbing, in order to try and keep him at range.
That works for a while, but Holloway takes him down with an inside leg trip, before letting him back up to his feet. And then, out of nowhere, Holloway follows up with a beautiful right-left combination that leaves Pettis clutching his head and back-tracking.
He backs him up against the cage and hits him with a flurry of punches, leaving Pettis slumped against the cage and the referee stepping in to call it off. Max Holloway pulls off an incredible victory to claim the Interim Featherweight Title. Wow.
Result: Max Holloway def. Anthony Pettis via TKO in Round 3
