Holloway stops Pettis in 3rd round, wins interim featherweight title

Max Holloway earned his first taste of UFC gold with a career-defining performance Saturday.

"Blessed" backed Anthony Pettis against the cage before finishing him with strikes in the third round to become the UFC interim featherweight champion in the main event of UFC 206 in Toronto. The 25-year-old extended his win streak to 10, and his nine-fight win streak at featherweight is the division's longest active streak.

The newly crowned interim champ is now expected to meet undisputed titleholder Jose Aldo in a title unification bout next, and called for a February date in Brooklyn once the UFC strap had made it to his shoulder.

Pettis missed the featherweight limit by three pounds at Friday's weigh-ins and, as a result, wouldn't have left a champion with a win, but Holloway rendered the technicality meaningless by handing the former lightweight king his first defeat by stoppage. The 29-year-old announced his next bout would be contested at 155 pounds moments after the official decision.

Although Pettis played the aggressor, Holloway swiftly pulled ahead by responding to his pressure with combinations from the outside. The Hawaiian product settled into a groove in short order, punishing Pettis' noggin and body in equal measure through the first round.

Holloway found even more success with his calculated attack in Round 2, knocking Pettis on his hind parts with a clean counter right hand to the button. "Showtime," who'd broken his right hand moments prior, would make it back to his feet, but the injury put a fatal damper on his striking output.

Blessed's respect for Pettis' power waned in the third and deciding round, as he dialed up the aggression with little concern for any return fire. After reciprocating a Pettis takedown attempt with a trip of his own, Holloway got back to his feet and capped the flawless performance with a kick to the body that wilted Pettis against the cage before unleashing a flurry of body shots for the stoppage.

Pettis - who moved down to featherweight last summer after dropping three straight at 155 pounds - now finds himself back at square one after not only missing weight, but failing to build on his submission win over Charles Oliveira in his divisional debut.

The Milwaukee native has lost four of his last five contests, bringing his UFC record to 6-5.