Rumor: Pettis vs Holloway for interim featherweight title at UFC 206
With the main event of Daniel Cormier vs Anthony Johnson being scratched due to injury, it is being reported that Anthony Pettis will fight Max Holloway for the interim featherweight title.
With Daniel Cormier out against Anthony Johnson at UFC 206, the card needed a new main event — and it may have just got one in the form of a new title fight. According to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, the UFC is targeting an interim featherweight title fight between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway.
In making this fight between Pettis and Holloway, the UFC would then be moving to strip Conor McGregor of his featherweight title and giving it to Jose Aldo, who has been the interim title holder.
As it is being reported, if Holloway and Pettis officially become set to fight for the interim title, the UFC will work to strip McGregor of his title and make Jose Aldo the featherweight champion. McGregor defeated Aldo at UFC 194 back on December 12, 2015 and never went on to defend his title.
Instead of defending his title, McGregor had two fights with Nate Diaz in the welterweight division, then made history at UFC 205 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title and became the first-ever champion with two titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.
Prior to winning the lightweight title, McGregor said he wanted to hold both belts before talking to the UFC about stripping one of them. Dana White had said that McGregor could not hold up two divisions and would have to vacate one of the titles. According to Helwani, the UFC has been pushing to strip the featherweight title.
Jose Aldo became interim champion when he defeated Frankie Edgar for the interim title at the time, at UFC 200. Following his win, Aldo made it clear that he wanted a rematch with McGregor for the title but when McGregor decided to jump up weight classes, Aldo threatened to retire and asked to be released from the UFC.
As of now, it appears that McGregor will be stripped of his featherweight title, which will be given to Aldo, while Holloway and Pettis battle for the interim title at UFC 206.
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