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UFC 206 Main Event Implodes at Early Weigh-ins; Three Fighters Miss Weight

UFC 206 Main Event Implodes at Early Weigh-ins; Three Fighters Miss Weight

Although there will be no Georges St-Pierre and no Daniel Cormier, UFC 206 is now official following the early morning weigh-in on Friday, though not without further disruption.

There had been hopes to bring St-Pierre out of retirement to headline the UFC's return to Toronto, but the sides couldn't come to an agreement before negotiations stalled. The card was then slated to feature Daniel Cormier defending his light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson. That bout fell apart when Cormier suffered a torn adductor tendon.

UFC 206 now moves forward headlined by a pseudo interim featherweight championship fight between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis. The two were originally supposed to meet in the event's co-main event, but was elevated to headliner and interim championship status when Cormier withdrew and the UFC forced Conor McGregor to relinquish his featherweight title.

Those plans also hit a snag, however, when Holloway stepped on the scale at 145 pounds, while Pettis, who is making his second appearance at featherweight, had a difficult weight cut and missed the mark. He weighed 148 pounds. Fighters in a championship fight are not afforded the same one-pound allowance as non-title fight competitors, so he was a full three pounds above the 145-pound cutoff.

At the time of publication, according to ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto citing UFC president Dana White, as a result of Pettis not making weight, the bout is only a title fight for Holloway. If he wins the fight on Saturday, he will become the interim UFC featherweight champion. Pettis can win the fight, but not a belt. He is also expected to give up 20-percent of his show money to Holloway.

UFC officials had not yet released an official statement on the situation.

RELATED > Anthony Pettis Misses the Mark at UFC 206 Weigh-in

Rustam Khabilov stepped on the scale weighing 158 pounds, a full 2.5 pounds over the limit for his lightweight non-title fight with Jason Saggo. He is expected to forfeit a portion of his show purse , but will remain in the fight.

Strawweight Valerie Letourneau, the final fighter to step on the scale, was also overweight. She weighed 117.5 pounds for her bout with Viviane Pereira, which has a 116-pound limit for a non-title fight. Like Pettis and Khabilov, Letourneau will be fined 20-percent of her purse.

UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis Weigh-in Results

Main Card (on Pay-Per-View)
Max Holloway (145) vs. Anthony Pettis (148)*
Donald Cerrone (170.5) vs. Matt Brown (171)
Cub Swanson (146) vs. Doo Ho Choi (145.5)
Tim Kennedy (186) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (185)
Jordan Mein (170) vs. Emil Meek (170.5)

Prelims (on FS1)
Nikita Krylov (206) vs. Misha Cirkunov (205)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (156) vs. Drew Dober (156)
Valerie Letourneau (117.5) vs. Viviane Pereira (114)*
Mitch Gagnon (135.5) vs. Matthew Lopez (136)

Prelims (on Fight Pass)
John Makdessi (155) vs. Lando Vannata (156)
Jason Saggo (155) vs. Rustam Khabilov (158.5)*
Zach Makovsky (125) vs. Dustin Ortiz (125)

*Pettis, Khabilov, and Letourneau missed weight.

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