UFC 206 went down last night (Sat., Dec. 10, 2016) inside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in what proved to be an exciting night of pay-per-view (PPV) fights. In the headlining act, Max Holloway defeated Anthony Pettis via technical knockout (video replay here) to capture the interim Featherweight title.
In the co-main event of the evening, Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown went to war in a heated match that eventually saw "Cowboy" put "Immortal" to sleep with a vicious head kick knockout (see it again here) to earn his fourth straight victory at Welterweight.
Winner: Max Holloway
Who He Should Face Next: Jose Aldo
This one is a foregone conclusion, as the promotion had already confirmed the winner of Holloway vs. Pettis would get a chance to unify the titles against "Scarface." With one belt on his shoulder, Max will look to make it official as he gears up to face the former champion who is now champion again only because of this. It's a wacky division, indeed.
Winner: Donald Cerrone
Who He Should Face Next: Robbie Lawler
The two talented strikers were set to mix it up in a fight fans dream matchup at UFC 205 last month, but after "Ruthless" decided he needed more time before he laced them back up, the fight was ultimately scratched. With another impressive win under his belt, "Cowboy" is looking sharp as ever at 170-pounds. That said, while you can bet Cerrone would like a quick turnaround, I'd like to see him hold out just a little bit to see if "Ruthless" is feeling the itch to get back into the cage.
Winner: Cub Swanson:
Who He Should face Next: Ricardo Lamas
It always boils down to a numbers game when you’re talking about top five contenders. After Swanson stopped the mini hype train that was Doo Ho Choi, winning a unanimous decision of "The Korean Superboy" in what was an absolute slobber-knocker and likely "Fight of the Year" winner, I’m sure Cub has his sights set on a top ranked foe. Lamas is the only one in front of him at No. 3, and I am willing to guess that Swanson wouldn’t mind getting a rematch against the man who defeated him in his Octagon debut back in 2011. Don’t over think it, book it. Sure, people would die for part two of Swanson vs Choi, but for now, Swanson needs to focus on bigger and better things if he wants to earn his first-ever UFC title fight.
Winner: Kelvin Gastelum
Who He Should Face Next: Derek Brunson
After impressively disposing of Tim Kennedy in a Middleweight showdown, Gastelum ‘s future is still unclear, as far as what weight class he’ll be competing in next. He failed to make weight for the fourth time at UFC 205 for a scheduled bout against Donald Cerrone. White is adamant he won’t let him fight in the division again, but we’ve heard that song before. That said, I don’t understand why Kelvin simply doesn’t avoid the weight cut and stay at 185 pounds. Maybe he feels undersized in the division, but I’d like to see him take on Derek Brunson. Kelvin took out the No. 10 guy in the weight class, so why not work your way down? Derek is fresh off a loss, and a semi0high profile fight like one against Kelvin would be good for both.
Winner: Emil Meek
Who He Should Fight Next: Jake Ellenberger
Meek made an impressive Octagon debut by grinding out a tough, hard fught decision against Jordan Mein. While Emil is stil la bit wet around the ears, regarding top-level competition that the eight-sided cage offers, a showdown against someone like Ellenberger, who has lost three of four, would be a good, tough challenge for Emil. though his record as of late won’t show it, Jake could give Meek some fits, and a showdown between the two will let us know where they both are.
Winner: Misha Cirkunov
Who He Should Face Next: Corey Anderson
Misha stayed perfect inside the Octagon by impressively taking out No. 8 ranked 205-pounder Nikita Krylov, choking him out in the very first round. If we’re playing the numbers game, Misha -- who now has eight straight wins under his belt — should face Anderson, who was victorious at UFC Fight Night 102 the night prior to UFC 206. Both men will likely be in top 10 once the new rankings come out, with Anderson likely holding the higher spot. Having them throw down next feels right.
For complete UFC 206: "Holloway vs. Pettis" results, including play-by-play updates, click here.