UFC 206: Holloway finishes Pettis to become interim featherweight champ

Max Holloway became the UFC's new interim featherweight champion after a third-round TKO of Anthony Pettis. Donald Cerrone crushed Matt Brown with a devastating kick, while Cub Swanson emerged victorious over Doo Ho Choi in an instant classic at UFC 206.

See the full results below:

Catchweight Bout (148 lbs): Max Holloway def. Anthony Pettis via 3rd-round TKO

Max Holloway defeated Anthony Pettis via TKO in the third round to become the new UFC interim featherweight champion.

Holloway delivered a series of punches against the fence and Pettis was unable to break free, sealing the victory for the 25-year-old. Both Holloway and Pettis fought at a 148-pound catchweight after the latter missed the 145-pound limit previously stipulated. As a result, Pettis will also pay 20 percent of his purse to Holloway.

"I can't make 145. The weight cut is too hard," Pettis said after Saturday's fight via MMAFighting.com.

Holloway was dominant from the very beginning, weathering kicks from Pettis in the first round before delving into a sequence of punches to close the frame. In the second round, Holloway continued to use his boxing skills to his advantage, landing a strong blow near Pettis' eye, causing him to bleed.

After the fight, Holloway hinted at a fight against Jose Aldo in Brooklyn.

Recap: Holloway stops Pettis in 3rd round to win interim featherweight title

Welterweight Bout: Donald Cerrone def. Matt Brown via 3rd-round KO

With one perfectly timed kick, Donald Cerrone put an end to Matt Brown's night.

Cerrone won via knockout, smashing Brown with a strike to the face, sending him to the mat with a blow that made an audible impact. Brown eventually stumbled to his feet, but it was far too late to change the outcome.

The first two rounds of the bout were evenly contested, with both fighters entering a back-and-forth rapport. However, it's Cerrone's sublime knockout that will stand out as the lone takeaway from Saturday's contest. Cerrone moves to 19-4 in UFC action with the victory.

Watch: Cerrone cleans Brown's clock with head kick

Featherweight Bout: Cub Swanson def. Doo Ho Choi via unanimous decision

Cub Swanson defeated Doo Ho Choi in an instant classic, winning via unanimous decision in a bout that ought to reverberate throughout the mixed martial arts community. Judges scored the contest 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in Swanson's favor, but Choi received resounding cheers from the UFC 206 crowd for a valiant effort.

Swanson and Choi traded blows from the outset of the fight, with the 25-year-old South Korean jumping out to an early advantage, bloodying his opponent in the first round after landing numerous kicks. However, both fighters swung for the fences from the beginning of the second round, each possessing genuine opportunities to knock each other out. Choi once again appeared to pull away from Swanson in the second round, but he responded with an acrobatic kick to knock the South Korean fighter off balance.

Both fighters were bloodied and battered by the end of the third round, as Choi withstood sequences of kicks and punches, and Swanson ended the round with a series of shots as his opponent attempted to get off the mat. It's a fight that many analysts believe will be a strong candidate for Fight of the Year.

Recap: Swanson outslugs Choi in Fight of the Year candidate

Middleweight Bout: Kelvin Gastelum def. Tim Kennedy via 3rd-round TKO

Gastelum boxed his way to glory Saturday night, defeating Tim Kennedy in the third round via TKO. Kennedy got off to a strong start in the first round, bringing Gastelum to the ground, but the 25-year-old promptly recovered with some damaging punches at the end of the sequence. Gastelum carried his momentum forward into the second round, bringing Kennedy down earlier in the round, and stunned him with another late flurry of punches to end the sequence. To end the contest, Gastelum continued to attack Kennedy with his boxing, beating his bloodied opponent until referee John McCarthy called the fight.

Recap: Gastelum spoils Kennedy's return with 3rd-round TKO

Welterweight Bout: Emil Meek def. Jordan Mein via unanimous decision

Emil Meek defeated Jordan Mein via unanimous decision, with all judges scoring the fight 29-28. It was an evenly matched fight through the first round, but Meek pulled away from his opponent in the later rounds, unsuccessfully attempting to choke out Mein in the second frame. Meek improved to 4-2 in UFC fights after Saturday's win.

"My rib is cracked, but this is freaking awesome," Meek declared triumphantly after the fight.

Recap: Meek scores decision over Mein in UFC debut

Light Heavyweight Bout: Misha Cirkunov def. Nikita Krylov via 1st-round submission (guillotine choke)

Misha Cirkunov quickly dismissed Nikita Krylov, winning via submission (guillotine choke) in the first round Saturday. Cirkunov dropped Krylov with a single blow, then finished him off on the ground, setting up a textbook guillotine choke to win the contest. The 29-year-old moved to 4-0 in UFC action with the victory. After the fight, Cirkunov said he would like to fight Shogun Rua.

Recap: Cirkunov manhandles Krylov to close out UFC 206 prelims

Lightweight Bout: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober via 2nd-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Olivier Aubin-Mercier submitted a commanding performance, defeating Drew Dober in the second round via near-naked choke. He controlled the pace in the first round, neutralizing Dober with a series of crushing jabs. Aubin-Mercier was knocked down in the second round, but responded promptly. He took Dober by the back and secured a rear-naked choke, ending the fight in the second round. It was the first win by a Canadian at UFC 206.

Recap: Aubin-Mercier fights through knockdown to tap Dober

Catchweight Bout (117.5 lbs): Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau via split decision

Viviane Pereira recorded a victory over Valerie Letourneau in her first UFC fight, winning via split decision Saturday. Letourneau was clearly the better fighter in the first round, landing a series of punches in the first round. However, the trajectory of the fight changed in favor of Pereira during the latter two rounds, wearing down Letourneau with a series of kicks and jabs. Letourneau missed weight, forcing the pairing to fight at 117.5 pounds.

Recap: Pereira edges Letourneau in UFC debut

Bantamweight Bout: Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon via unanimous decision

Matthew Lopez responded with a resolute victory over Mitch Gagnon, winning Saturday's fight by unanimous decision, with judges scoring the fight 29-28, 29-28, 29-27. Gagnon delivered a crushing punch in the first round, knocking Lopez to the ground, but he recovered promptly. Lopez would take over the fight with an excellent second round, and maintained control of the bout from there, taking down Gagnon numerous times in the final stanza.

Recap: Lopez recovers from early scare to spoil Gagnon's return

Lightweight Bout: Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi via 1st-round KO

Lando Vannata made quick work of John Makdessi, defeating the Canadian fighter at the 1:40 mark of the first round with a devastating head kick. Vannata spun around and landed a perfect strike to Makdessi's face, sending him backward to the floor. With the victory, Vannata moved to 1-1 in UFC action.

Recap - Watch: Vannata knocks out Makdessi with perfect wheel kick

Catchweight Bout (158 lbs.): Rustam Khabilov def. Jason Saggo via unanimous decision

Rustam Khabilov defeated Jason Saggo via unanimous decision, spoiling his opponent's homecoming. Khabilov missed the lightweight limit, fighting Saggo at 158 pounds on Saturday evening, and moving to 7-2 in the UFC. All judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Khabilov, capping off a dominant performance in which the Russian fighter took down Saggo in every round.

Recap: Khabilov picks up unanimous decision over Saggo

Flyweight Bout: Dustin Ortiz def. Zach Makovsky via split decision

Dustin Ortiz defeated Zach Makovsky via split decision, snapping a two-fight losing streak. Ortiz gained the advantage over Makovsky early in the contest by outgrappling him, and remained in control throughout the bout, fending off a valiant late effort from his opponent. During the contest, Ortiz recorded four takedowns and moved to 5-4 in all UFC competitions with the victory.

Recap: Ortiz wins grappling match with Makovsky by split decision

UFC 206 Fight Card