Max Holloway will fight for a UFC title after all.
The UFC announced during Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night card on Fox Sports 1 that Holloway’s scheduled bout at UFC 206 against Anthony Pettis will serve as the main event for the interim 145-pound UFC title.
The winner of that fight will face champion Jose Aldo to unify the featherweight title belts.
The UFC has stripped Conor McGregor, who also holds the 155-pound title after beating Eddie Alvarez earlier this month, of his featherweight title. Aldo had been the interim champion after beating Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 in July.
McGregor hasn’t defended the title since December 2015, when he knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds, and isn’t planning to fight again until next summer.
Holloway and Pettis were scheduled to be the co-feature bout of UFC 206, which had been headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson.
Cormier had to pull out of the fight earlier this week with an injury.
Holloway (16-3, 12-3 UFC) took the fight against Pettis (19-5, 6-4), who is a former champion at 155 pounds, despite his current nine-fight winning streak. Pettis lost three consecutive fights at 155 pounds before dropping down to 145.
Holloway would have been the first UFC fighter to win nine consecutive fights without receiving a title shot.
UFC 206 will take place in Toronto and will be available on pay-per-view.
Holloway will join Hilo’s B.J. Penn as the only fighters from Hawaii to headline a UFC PPV event.
Holloway defeated Charles Oliveira in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in August 2015.