Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis betting tips for UFC 206

USA: Saturday, December 10, 2016, main card begins at 11.45pm GMT-8, Air Canada Center, Toronto, Canada

Australia: Sunday, December 11, 2016, main event begins at 3pm AEDST

Fight records:
Holloway – 16 – 3 – 0
Pettis – 19 – 5 – 0

Head-to-head odds:
Max Holloway: (-175 with Bovada.lv), ($1.56 at WilliamHill.com.au)
Anthony Pettis: (+145 with Bovada.lv), ($2.40 at WilliamHill.com.au)

The UFC returns to Canada for UFC 206 as the hotly-anticipated featherweight fight between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway headlines an interesting card.

The duo will fight for the interim UFC featherweight title after a convoluted decision by the company to strip Conor McGregor of the undisputed crown and hand it to the man he beat in 13 seconds over a year ago, Brazilian Jose Aldo.

The decision was made after light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was forced to pull of the main event after his tearing right adductor at training camp in the lead up to his rematch against Anthony Johnson.

The UFC was worried that a card without a title fight would falter in pay per view buys and elected to assign some value to a glorified number one contender match, but for MMA purists however, the fight itself has the potential to be one of the bouts of the year.

Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has rejuvenated his career since dropping down to featherweight.

The 29-year-old elected to shed the pounds after a three-fight losing streak, which the Milwaukee product described as a ‘weird place to be at’ after being so dominant for so long.

Pettis looked sensational on his division debut, submitting the dangerous Charles Oliveira, but the man they call ‘Showtime’ will enter Sunday’s bout as the +145 outsider ($2.40 at WilliamHill.com.au) against a man who is aiming to make it ten straight wins.

The former lightweight champion said he would not have it any other way heading into Sunday.

“When you are the underdog, you have nothing to lose,” Pettis said.

“People expect you to lose. If I go out there with a dominant performance, everyone is going to remember why I was the champ at one point.”

While Pettis still has his doubts about his fighting future, the fifth ranked fighter at featherweight believes he will have no excuses if he is unable to escape the octagon victorious.

“You still have that thought in the back of your head – that feeling of losing,” he said.

“It haunts you. It’s one of the things I hate feeling and I felt it three times in a row. For a whole year I lost. It was a sh—y feeling, but I feel like for now, I have the first win under my belt for a new weight class and a new light. I’m having fun training again and I’m injury free.”

Sunday is Showtime’s chance to put the featherweight division on notice and prove he has what it takes to be a title holder at two different weight classes.

Pettis vs. Holloway preview and tips

Two legitimate superstars of MMA lock horns for the interim featherweight title at UFC 206 as a white-hot Max Holloway and a rejuvenated Anthony Pettis fight for a bastardised version of the belt.

Holloway has been laying opponents to waste. Since losing to Conor McGregor via a unanimous decision back in 2013 the 25-year-old has gone on to win nine straight matches; only three of which have had to go to the judge for a decision.

Holloway is arguably the best fighter in the UFC right now without a title to his name.

Anthony Pettis has turned his career around after losing three straight fights at lightweight. The man they call Showtime was impressive on his featherweight debut against Charles Oliveira, but he steps up significantly in class against Holloway.

The pair matchup particularly well in all fight facets, which makes for an interesting bout.

A Holloway knockout victory is just as plausible as a Pettis one, and both men are capable of making their opponents submit.

It looms as one of the most unpredictable fights in 2016, but it is truly hard to argue that momentum is not on Holloway’s side.

Nine wins in a row is an incredible feat across any sport, but considering the names Holloway has put away in the last two years it is hard to him not extending his streak to double figures against a man fighting in just his second bout at featherweight.

It will be a tight bout, but we are favouring Holloway. Momentum is a huge part of any sport and the 25-year-old seems to be hitting his stride, and while the 29-year-old Pettis looked great on his featherweight debut, he is still an unknown quantity in the division.

We are happy to take the favourite in the main event of UFC 206, who will provide tremendous opposition for the current featherweight title holder Jose Aldo.

Max Holloway to win -175 via Bovada.lv, $2.40 at WilliamHill.com.au

Other fights on the card

All odds provided by Bovada.lv

Jordan Mein (-155) vs. Emil Meek (+125)

Tim Kennedy (-160) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (+130)

Doo Hoo Choi (-230) vs. Cub Swanson (+180)

Donald Cerrone (-270) vs. Matt Brown (+210)