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Check out the key facts, figures and footnotes for UFC 257, which is headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor.
Check out the key facts, figures and footnotes for UFC 257, which is headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor.
Watch the UFC 257 cold open, narrated by Ron Perlman, five days before it airs.
Five more sleeps separate American UFC fans from UFC 257, but UFC president Dana White is doing all he can to increase the fight week hype levels.
Monday, White released the pay-per-view’s cold open video, which hypes the rematch between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] Saturday on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
The video, with actor and regular UFC voice-over narrator Ron Perlman, features promotion for both the main event between McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and the lightweight co-main event between [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC).
Check out the UFC 257 cold open video below:
I'M SO PUMPED FOR THIS FIGHT!!!@dustinpoirier vs @thenotoriousmma is LIVE SATURDAY on @espn+ PPV! #UFC257 #InAbuDhabi @visitabudhabi pic.twitter.com/4DtwtmaUiW
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 18, 2021
UFC 257 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
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All four fighters in the top two bouts will appear at the news conference, which you can watch right here on MMA Junkie.
The highly anticipated showdown between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] goes down on Jan. 23, and to whet your appetite, the UFC will hold a news conference on Thursday, Jan. 21.
McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) will appear the press conference at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, which is also the venue for the card. Additionally, co-headliners [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will also appear.
The event goes down at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT, and will be live streamed right here at MMA Junkie. If you’ve followed this sport any length of time, you know that McGregor press conferences are must-see TV, so make sure to be here Thursday.
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Check out the latest edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here, beginning at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) on SportsCastr.
On Episode 3,122, the guys are joined by MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, who is on site in Abu Dhabi, to discuss all things “Fight Island.” Tune in!
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
Dan Hooker sees UFC 257 as a big opportunity to reposition himself at the top of the lightweight division.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] sees UFC 257 as a big opportunity to reposition himself at the top of the promotion’s lightweight division.
Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will welcome former three-time Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the UFC on Jan. 23 and is aiming to steal all the shine of Chandler’s highly anticipated octagon debut.
With Chandler having served as the backup for the lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje at this past October’s UFC 254, Hooker understands that a win could put him in the running for a title shot – even if he thinks headliners Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier also have a case to compete for a potentially vacant title.
“I think Conor and Dustin should be for the belt,” Hooker told MMA Junkie Radio. “I feel like that should be a title fight, but regardless whoever wins that, their next fight, whether it’s against Khabib or whether that’s against the No. 1 contender, that’ll be fighting for the title. Michael Chandler popped up on my radar when they put him as the backup for the title fight, as the guy that was gonna get the shot if Khabib or Gaethje, if something happened to one of them.
“So I feel like with a win over him, I take that spot. I take all of that hype that’s behind him, and I put myself back in title contention.”
Chandler may be a new face in the UFC, but he has garnered plenty of experience fighting top-level talent in Bellator. With 12 of Chandler’s career wins coming in the first round, Hooker is expecting an action-packed opening five minutes, which he happily welcomes.
“He’s orthodox; he’s got a good right hand,” Hooker said of Chandler. “There’s a lot of similarities there between Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder, so there’s a lot of similarities there. I just feel like he’s a lot more explosive and is a lot faster at closing the distance, and he starts very fast.
“He starts incredibly quick. In that first round, he will really come out and try to test you and try to take your head off pretty much, so that’s exciting to me. It’s gonna be a fast start, and it might be all she wrote in Round 1, so that’s good news for me.”
UFC 257 takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The night’s main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
To hear the complete interview with Hooker, check out the video below.
https://youtu.be/QUcCkXI-EGA
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MMA Junkie Radio spoke with former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.
MMA Junkie Radio spoke with former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live on SportsCastr beginning at noon ET.
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live on SportsCastr beginning at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
On Episode 3,121, the guys will be joined by guest [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], a former Bellator lightweight champion who recently signed with the UFC and has his promotional debut upcoming. They’ll also break down the next few UFC cards and talk about the latest news and notes.
Twitter Mailbag: Can Conor McGregor beat Khabib? Is Michael Chandler a ‘nightmare’ fight?
Twitter Mailbag: Can Conor McGregor beat Khabib? Is Michael Chandler a ‘nightmare’ fight?
Michael Chandler shares thoughts on Dan Hooker being his first octagon opponent at UFC 257.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] didn’t think he’d be fighting [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] for his UFC debut.
The former Bellator champion and recent UFC signee thought he’d be taking on a top five name in UFC’s lightweight division for his first bout with the organization. Instead, Chandler is set to fight Hooker, who’s No. 6 in the UFC’s official lightweight rankings, at UFC 257.
Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) admits Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) wasn’t an opponent he had thought of, as he was linked to bigger names in the division.
“Here’s what I would say: Dan Hooker wasn’t on the radar or the highest run of the radar mainly because of the pecking order of the UFC’s rankings,” Chandler told ESPN on Monday.
“Obviously, when I came in, the UFC wanted to give me a test right away – throwing around names like (Tony) Ferguson, like (Dustin) Poirier, and (Charles) Oliveira, who are No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the division. Obviously, aside from Khabib, because he’s semi retired right now, we’re not sure what he’s doing yet. But these were the names that they were trying to get me booked against, so it wasn’t that Dan Hooker wasn’t a formidable opponent.”
UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23 in Abu Dhabi. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Chandler was linked to Ferguson, Poirier and Justin Gaethje throughout late 2020, but nothing came to fruition. He also served as the official replacement opponent in the title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October.
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Despite not considering Hooker as a potential opponent, Chandler has deep respect for the New Zealand native, and labels him as his toughest matchup at 155 pounds.
“Truthfully, he may be one of the saltiest, nastiest, toughest challenges both physically and with his attributes inside of the octagon than any of (the top ranked fighters),” Chandler said. “I think that I match up better with Poirier than I do Hooker, I think I matchup better with Gaethje then Hooker, I think I matchup better with Ferguson than Hooker.
“So at the end of it all, I signed with the UFC to get to the top. In order to get to the top, I have to have a fight, I have to get inside the UFC octagon.”
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Former Bellator champ Michael Chandler’s highly anticipated UFC debut will be a big one against Dan Hooker.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is getting his wish to fight a top-ranked lightweight in his UFC debut.
Chandler, a former three-time Bellator champion, will make his first trip to the octagon at UFC 257 against [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag].
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie that Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) have both agreed to the matchup. The people requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
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UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. The card is headlined by a lightweight rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Chandler signed with the UFC in 2020 following a 22-fight stint with Bellator that lasted nearly 10 years. He became one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history during that time, but has said he couldn’t validate himself as the top 155-pound fighter in the world outside the UFC.
The 34-year-old was assigned the status of backup fighter for the lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October. Ultimately, Chandler’s services weren’t needed as a replacement, and now he gets to make his debut with focus on a specific opponent.
Hooker, No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, will return to action after a loss to Poirier in their headlining bout at UFC on ESPN 12 this past June. It was a “Fight of the Year” candidate, but he came up just short on the scorecards.
A longtime featherweight, Hooker has come into his own at 155 pounds, picking up wins over Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, Gilbert Burns and Jim Miller in recent years.
The latest UFC 257 lineup now includes:
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