UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis Odds, Tickets, Preview and Pre-Weigh-in Hype

The UFC will be back in pay-per-view action with UFC 206 on Saturday. The event will take place in Toronto with a featherweight match between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis as the headline bout.

The Pettis vs. Holloway fight has replaced the original headlining bout between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson.

Pettis and Holloway will be battling for the interim featherweight title, and four other exciting matches are scheduled for the undercard.

With official weigh-ins scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Friday, now is the perfect time to examine the upcoming event, along with some of the top storylines heading into the weekend.

UFC 206

Main Event: Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

When: Saturday, Dec. 10

Time: 10 p.m. ET

TV: UFC PPV

Preliminary Card: Fox Sports 1

Odds: Holloway -200, Pettis +175

Tickets: Available on ScoreBig.com

Main Card

Latest Buzz

Should McGregor Have Been Stripped?

Pettis and Holloway will be battling for the interim featherweight title because the UFC decided to strip the belt from former titleholder and MMA personality extraordinaire Conor McGregor.

While the UFC announced McGregor relinquished the belt, the former champion has denied doing so.

"They're trying to strip me. Well, I ain't stripped. I still got that belt," McGregor said, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports. "That belt's sitting in my home right now. I'm still the two-weight world champion. Someone's got to come take that off me. I see articles. I see stuff online, but I don’t see the belt not in my presence."

Coral Barry of Metro reported the UFC decided to take the belt because McGregor had informed the company he intends to take an extended break from action. Per Barry, McGregor isn't planning on returning until November 2017.

The UFC has had champions out of action for long periods of time, but with McGregor holding two belts, it does make some sense to put one of the titles back into play.

Of course, the move also creates an interesting situation.

Does the Interim Belt Even Mean Anything?

To some, the UFC made the Holloway vs. Pettis fight for the interim title for only one reason: to add a belt to UFC 206's main event. Upon stripping McGregor of the belt, the company also made former titleholder Jose Aldo the undisputed champion.

Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie summed up the ensuing situation:

So, just to sum up: You have one former champ who never lost the title (McGregor), one current champ whose belt went from interim to genuine while he sat on his couch (Aldo), one deserving contender who’s won nine in a row yet still can’t get a crack at the real belt (Holloway), and another who’s won exactly one fight as a featherweight, yet still has the same chance to grab a new hunk of leather and metal with one successful night’s work (Pettis).

The basic point is that fans who respect McGregor are likely to still consider him the real champion. Those who don't may or may not consider Aldo a worthy champion, but the company does.

Few fans, however, are likely to consider the fight between Holloway and Pettis a legitimate title bout. This doesn't mean the main event isn't going to be a tremendous fight—it should be—but putting an interim belt on the line doesn't add to the card's luster.

Will Georges St-Pierre Ever Return to the UFC?

Don't think Aldo or any of the featherweights will feel like a champion as long as Conor is still active

— Neil 2 Tap Seery (@NeilSeeryMMA) November 27, 2016

One of the most interesting storylines of late involves a match that won't be a part of UFC 206. If legendary fighter Georges St-Pierre is to be believed, however, there's a chance it could have been.

According to Bleacher Report guest columnist Brian D'Souza, St-Pierre was interested in returning at UFC 206 to take on middleweight champion Michael Bisping.

"I was aiming for [UFC 206] in Toronto," St-Pierre told D'Souza in November. "We had talks about fighting Michael Bisping. I even met [UFC President] Dana White personally. They made an offer, we made a counteroffer, but we didn’t hear any response from them."

Returning for UFC 206 would have made sense for the Canada native, and it would have brought a ton of attention to the event. St-Pierre is arguably one of the top MMA fighters in recent history, and his return would have made the card a must-watch.

Instead, the UFC decided to fabricate a belt to put on the line.

At 35 years old, the clock is ticking for St-Pierre to return in peak condition. As much as fans would love to see the fabled fighter back in action, they don't want to see an over-the-hill St-Pierre coming back just to cash in on another payday.

Betting information courtesy of OddsShark.