UFC 206 results: Cub Swanson upsets Dooho Choi in 'Fight of the Year'-worthy slugfest

TORONTO – In a strong contender for “Fight of the Year,” Cub Swanson and Dooho Choi brought the crowd to its feet in a bloody, brutal slugfest.

Such was the display of heart that the Canadians were singing for the featherweights in the third and final round of what ultimately ended in a unanimous decision for Swanson (24-7 MMA, 9-3 UFC) over Choi (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

The featherweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC 206 event at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The final scorecards were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Swanson. The shutout tallies did not, however, reflect the roller-coaster of the final 10 minutes, which will ultimately go down as two of the best rounds in the promotion’s history.

Over three rounds, it was Choi’s precise, methodical attack against Swanson’s creative slugging. And initially, it looked as though the former would triumph. Choi’s straight right repeatedly caught Swanson and hurt him early. But a few moments into the opening round, Swanson took a breath and remembered his best weapon – his creativity, which he used to surprise Choi in punching exchanges.

The other weapon Swanson employed to great affect was forward pressure. As his longtime coach Greg Jackson told him between rounds, Choi struggled to fight backwards. And so Swanson came out swinging in the middle frame, backing the Korean fighter up with hard right hands and kicks. Eventually, though, the energy expenditure caught up to him, and Choi’s accuracy began to take its toll.

A left hook badly hurt Swanson, who covered for dear life as Choi wailed on him against the cage. It seemed it was just a matter of time before a stoppage. But Swanson survived, and threw every bit of himself into a counterattack. He landed a series of big right hands, wobbling Choi and exposing for the first time his vulnerability.

Yet Choi still came back, chasing Swanson and landing shots at the bell.

Exhausted, Swanson entered the third on shaky legs, and yet still persisted with more wild punches that caught Choi flush. Despite taking several shots clean to the jaw, Choi managed to stay upright and get back in the action, landing more right hands as the audience broke into song. He dragged Swanson to the mat in an effort to slow down the action, but wound up reversed on his back.

Swanson eventually let up Choi and landed another series of concussive punches before hip-tossing him to the mat. When the two got back to their feet, both were bloodied and exhausted, their hands and their sides. But they weren’t done throwing yet.

A final clash saw Swanson land more right hands that finally sent Choi to the mat. And yet, the Korean made it to the bell.

Swanson now improves to three straight UFC wins, but more than that, picks up the most exciting win of his career. Choi suffers the first loss of his octagon career after three straight wins.

Neither of the fighters, however, lost any standing in the featherweight division. It was a win-win fight, even though there was only one winner.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 206 results include:

• Cub Swanson def. Dooho Choi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Kelvin Gastelum def. Tim Kennedy via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:45
• Emil Meek def. Jordan Mein via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Misha Cirkunov def. Nikita Krylov via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:38
• Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:57
• Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 1:40
• Rustam Khabilov def. Jason Saggo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dustin Ortiz def. Zach Makovsky via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 206, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Dann Stupp and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Toronto.)