Max Holloway defeats Anthony Pettis by KO/TKO
Round 3 · 4:50
Holloway vs Pettis — Interim Featherweight Title · UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Pettis backed Holloway up for much of the fight, but Holloway fired off his back foot with accuracy and force.
Pettis broke his right hand on the first punch he threw in round one and turned to wrestling as the fight progressed.
Holloway unleashed a late combination in the third round to produce the TKO at 4:50.
- Official UFC resultsUFC 206 official results
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Holloway
Holloway's path was pressure and accumulation. Against a creative kicker like Pettis, he needed to stay defensively responsible early, then turn the fight into longer boxing exchanges where his volume and body work could build.
Case for Pettis
Pettis' case was variety. If he could keep space with kicks, spin attacks and sudden counters, Holloway would have to chase without letting the fight become a rhythm and pressure contest.
What We Were Watching For
- Holloway's boxing reads after the first few minutes, especially when Pettis starts backing up.
- Pettis' damaged right hand between rounds, which limits how much he can answer under pressure.
- The body attack in round three, where Holloway's pace finally forces the stoppage.
Records & career stats
- 16-3-0
- Record
- 19-6-0
- 3-2 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- USA
- Nationality
- United States
- 34
- Age
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- 1.80 m
- Height
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- 175 cm
- Reach
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- Orthodox
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- Source pending
- Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
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- —
- Wins by KO/TKOKO wins
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- 2
- Wins by submissionSub wins
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- 6.92
- Sig. strikes landed / minStr / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 4.60
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbs / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 59%
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- 81%
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- 16:11
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Lightweight (moving down)
- Weight classWeight
- Featherweight
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Record is as of fight night; career stats, recent form and win totals are the latest on file and may include this fight. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Videos
Outcome footage, post-fight coverage, and the pre-fight lead-up.
Before the fight (1)
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