The UFC stripped Conor McGregor of his featherweight title which means Jose Aldo is now the undisputed champion. It also means that the fight between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 will be for the interim featherweight title. UFC 206 needed a new main event when Daniel Cormier had to pull out of his bout against Anthony Johnson. The UFC tried to get Johnson vs. Gegard Mousasi but that fight couldn’t be worked out so Holloway and Pettis are getting the spotlight at UFC 206.
Bet on UFC at BookMaker.eu
McGregor Stripped
It comes as no surprise that the UFC stripped McGregor of the featherweight title but he is still the lightweight champion. McGregor wanted to hold on to both titles but there was no way that was going to happen. Jose Aldo is now the current champion but it is a fake title as he was beaten by McGregor at UFC 194. McGregor never defended that title as he chose to fight at welterweight and then at lightweight. Aldo had made seven title defenses as featherweight champion before the loss to McGregor. Aldo wanted a rematch but McGregor bypassed him for more attractive fights. McGregor will now take some time off and won’t fight until next May at the earliest and it seems unlikely Aldo will be first on his list of possible opponents.
McGregor won’t have the official featherweight title but his agent Audie Attar said it doesn’t matter. "He's a businessman, so he is going to make business decisions," Attar said. "No matter what happens, nobody will ever be able to take those belts away from him. Nobody has beat him for those belts. So the way I look at it is, whatever business decision Conor decides to make, it's a smart one. We have proven that to date. If a belt is taken or what have you, it's figurative. He still keeps that win. Nobody beat him to dethrone him."
Holloway vs. Pettis
The new feature fight at UFC 206 should be a good one. Holloway comes in at 16-3 while Pettis is 19-5. Holloway is on a nine-fight winning streak with his last loss coming to McGregor in 2013 while Pettis is coming off a win against Charles Oliveira a few months ago. The winner of Holloway vs. Pettis will almost assuredly fight against Aldo sometime early next year for the featherweight title.
Holloway has been calling out Aldo lately so a matchup between Holloway and Aldo would be entertaining. Holloway would also like to fight McGregor but he realizes a bout against Aldo is first. “The obvious thing is I would love to fight Conor McGregor.” Holloway said, “ We’ve got some history there and he won and people saying he didn’t knock me out because of an injury he had. I was injured in the fight too so let’s test that theory, I want to test that theory. But being realistic, there’s a guy with an interim title inside our division.”
Current Featherweight Rankings
1. Jose Aldo (26-2) – There is no question that Aldo is now in the top spot with McGregor moving on to other weight classes. Aldo should be taking on the winner of Holloway vs. Pettis next year.
2. Max Holloway (16-3) – Holloway is listed as a -160 favorite in the fight against Pettis at UFC 206.
3. Anthony Pettis (19-5) – Pettis is a slight underdog in the fight against Holloway at UFC 206.
4. Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) – Edgar is coming off a win against Jeremy Stephens but he is going to have to wait to get another title shot.
5. Ricardo Lamas (17-5) – Lamas is coming off a win against Oliveira last month.
6. Jeremy Stephens (25-13) – Stephens is coming off a loss to Edgar last month.
7. Dennis Bermudez (16-5) – Bermudez is coming off a win a few months ago against Rony Mariano Bezerra.
8. Brian Ortega (11-0) – Ortega has not fought since beating Clay Guida in June.
9. Renan Barao (34-4) – Barao is coming off a win against Phillipe Nover.
10. Cub Swanson (23-7) – Swanson takes on Doo Ho Choi next month.
How to Bet
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today.
