There is a silver lining to Anthony Pettis missing weight for the interim featherweight title bout against Max Holloway and it will all come to fruition at UFC 206 on Saturday night in Toronto.

Failing to come in under the 145-pound division limit cost Pettis 20 per cent of his purse and a shot to claim the interim belt, but it forced the UFC to take an unorthodox approach to sorting out the mess that has plagued the featherweights for more than a year.

“My guys had been blowing me up since [the weigh-in] happened,” UFC president Dana White told TSN.ca. “So we get on the phone, we work with the athletic commission and we figure out … and work out deals on how the fight still happens.”

The fight will happen at the Air Canada Centre, but only Holloway will be eligible to win the interim featherweight championship.

It isn’t a perfect scenario, but either result gives the UFC options.

The featherweight title was held hostage by Conor McGregor for nearly 12 months after he knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 last December. While McGregor pursued the lightweight championship, fighting Nate Diaz twice before claiming his second belt with a second-round knockout of Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November, a strong stable of featherweight contenders battled for second best.

Aldo, who defended the featherweight crown for more than four years, defeated Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision at UFC 200 and earned the right to a rematch. Having been denied an immediate rematch after losing the title and never getting booked for a rematch after becoming the interim champion, Aldo lashed out at the UFC on numerous occasions, threatening to retire and saying he would never fight for the organization again.

The future of the division was thrown further into question with the announcement that McGregor would be taking no less than 10 months off as he and his girlfriend prepare to have a baby. In one swift move the UFC stripped McGregor of the featherweight belt, named Aldo the undisputed champion and turned Pettis vs. Holloway into an interim title fight.

“I’m really not thinking about McGregor in the mix at all,” White said. “I’m letting this guy have his time. Let him spend time with his family, let him have his baby and regroup when he’s ready to go again.”

It’s a consolation prize for Aldo, who still wants a rematch with McGregor, but White says cooler heads have prevailed and the newly-named champion is ready to move forward.

“He came into my office about a month ago and we talked and it went well,” White said. “We worked out a lot of our issues and he’s ready to roll. Whoever wins Saturday night, he’s ready to fight.”

If Pettis wins, the UFC can offer him a shot against Aldo or pick from a strong contingent of featherweight contenders. After a tough weight cut, the former lightweight champion may opt to jump back up to his natural division.

If Holloway wins, a date with Aldo awaits for the unified featherweight championship.

One of two things will come out of the main event at UFC 206: There will be an interim featherweight champion or there won’t be. Either result straightens out the chaotic division.