Anthony Pettis' redemption tour just got a lot more interesting.
On Wednesday, the UFC announced through its Canadian broadcast partner TSN that UFC 206 would play host to a compelling featherweight bout between Pettis and surging Hawaiian contender Max Holloway. The news was broken on Twitter:
BREAKING: Anthony Pettis vs. Max Holloway and Mitch Gagnon vs. Matthew Lopez added to #UFC206 card in Toronto. https://t.co/yo1oGodFT4 pic.twitter.com/h25wmjigwZ
— UFC on TSN (@TSNUFC) October 26, 2016
Pettis became an overnight star at WEC 53 when he took the lightweight title off Benson Henderson in the promotion's final bout. The fight saw Pettis nail his now-iconic "Showtime Kick" in the final round, which both sealed a unanimous decision in his favor and made him the most exciting addition to the UFC after the promotion's closure.
After two bumpy years with the UFC, he would fall into a title shot at UFC 164, once again opposite Henderson, and would capitalize on the opportunity by taking the strap with a first-round armbar victory.
Unfortunately, his reign as champion would be defined by injuries, and when he faced Rafael dos Anjos in his second title defense at UFC 185, he struggled to gain momentum before eventually losing via lopsided unanimous decision.
That kicked off an ugly three-fight skid that saw Pettis struggle to mount any offense and had many wondering if his days as a high-level competitor were over.
He turned things around in a big way in August, however, by dropping down to 145 pounds and scoring a surprise submission victory over top-10-ranked Charles Oliveira. That promising start to his featherweight career, and his lasting name value, make him an interesting contender in a relatively shallow division.
Holloway's career is basically the exact opposite. Debuting at just 20 years old in 2012, Holloway was largely an afterthought for the company and was used as something of an "enhancement talent" for surging contenders like Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
In 2014, however, he broke off four impressive wins and repeated that performance in 2015, cementing his place in the top 10 with victories over the likes of Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens. Today, he is one of the sport's most underrated fighters and one of the youngest elite-level talents in the game.
With one man being a marketable contender and the other riding a nine-fight winning streak, this fight has obvious title implications. Where it falls on the void-of-intrigue UFC 206 card is unknown at this time. Either way, fans can look forward to this one going down on December 10 in Toronto, Ontario.
