UFC fight tonight: Is there a UFC card on Saturday, January 23, 2021?
Yes there is! UFC is going to host UFC 257, the first pay-per-view event of the year on January 23, 2021. The event is going to be headlined by Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, while the co-main event will feature UFC newcomer Michael Chandler in his debut fight against Dan Hooker.
The event is currently trending at 1.5 million pay-per-view buys, Dana White revealed in a recent interview.
In the last event of 2020, Stephen Thompson secured a clinical victory over Geoff Neal in the main event of the December 19 card. UFC returned to action last Saturday with UFC Fight Island 7 headlined by Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar after a short hiatus for the holidays. Max Holloway put up a brilliant performance to ensure a one-sided decision victory.
The following Wednesday say Michael Chiesa take on Neal Magny in the main event of UFC Fight Island 8.
Now the world awaits an expectedly crackling end to the week-long MMA extravaganza at Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, as Conor McGregor prepares to return to the octagon after a whole year.
UFC 257: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier II - January 23, 2021
A rematch 6 years in the making, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier initially agreed to meet in a charity match that 'The Notorious' pitched on Twitter. But Dana White intervened and booked the fight to take place under UFC banner. It did not take long for both the fighters to get on board.
The co-main event took a bit longer to be booked. Michael Chandler was the stand-by fighter for the UFC 254 lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. His services were not required that night, but he had successfully cut weight after which he had to wait for a while to be booked for his UFC debut. Several names were thrown around as a potential opponent for Chandler, but in the end, Dan 'Hangman' Hooker it was.
All four fighters of the main and co-main event have successfully made weight at the UFC 257 official weigh-ins on Friday evening. Conor McGregor tipped the scale at 155 pounds, and celebrated saying "That's 155, Championship weight!" Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Dan Hooker - all weighed in at 156 pounds.
The rest of the card features a women's flyweight bout between Jessica Eye and Joanna Calderwood and a women's strawweight bout between Marina Rodriguez and Amanda Ribas. The Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar lightweight bout got cancelled - no reason has been announced yet.