Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn and staff reporter Farah Hannoun preview the top storylines around UFC 257 with Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor and Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler.
MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn and staff reporter Farah Hannoun preview the top storylines around UFC 257 with Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor and Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler.
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 257 co-main event between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker.
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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the co-main event for UFC 257.
UFC 257 takes place Saturday at Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
UFC 257 is going to be a fun one.
The UFC is back this weekend with its first pay-per-view event of 2021 and it’s a good one in Abu Dhabi that features Conor McGregor making his way back to the Octagon for the first time since last January when he needed just 40 seconds to defeat Donald Cerrone.
This time we’ll see McGregor taking on Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 (which you can order on ESPN+) in a fight that should be pretty darn good. It’s also a rematch, as these two squared off way back in 2014 when McGregor won via TKO in the first round.
That’s not the only fun fight on this card. Here are the rest of the fights set to take place Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
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Ottman Azaitar was caught helping somebody sneak into the bubble on “Fight Island,” according to UFC president Dana White.
[autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag] has been released by the UFC for violating COVID-19 safety protocols on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
Azaitar had been scheduled to fight Matt Frevola on Saturday at UFC 257, but did not make it to Friday’s official weigh-ins. The reason was unknown until the UFC announced it was “aware of a recent violation of the health and safety protocols involving” Azaitar, causing the cancellation of his bout.
UFC president Dana White told MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun that Azaitar was cut for his actions and offered details on what transpired.
Dana White’s statement on Ottman Azaitar’s release.
Full interview for @UFCarabia: https://t.co/I4vfjmbgFC pic.twitter.com/icpVDTs0uS
— Farah Hannoun (@Farah_Hannoun) January 22, 2021
“He and his team cut their wristbands off and got them to people on the outside, one guy,” White said. “This guy got inside the bubble, went in through a room, shimmied down four balconies, went in through (Azaitar’s) balcony, and dropped off a bag of we don’t know what. Then he changed his clothes and went back outside of the bubble. We got everything on camera, we saw the whole thing, and how it all went down, pulled his fight and cut him.”
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The UFC confirmed that Azaitar was removed from the safety zone on “Fight Island.”
Azaitar, 30, is undefeated overall at 13-0. He was off to a blistering start in the UFC, scoring back-to-back first-round knockouts of Teemu Packalen and Khama Worthy in his first two fights with the promotion, the latter of which took place last September.
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Check out headliners Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 257.
Check out headliners Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 257.
All that’s left is for Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier to run it back at UFC 257.
ABU DHABI – All that’s left is for [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] to fight their rematch at UFC 257.
After making weight earlier Friday, Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) had a final faceoff at the ceremonial weigh-ins, which took place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the same venue that will host Saturday’s ESPN+ pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Both men were locked in but respectful, with Poirier giving McGregor a bottle of his own hot sauce. It’s the last time they will get a look at each other before entering the octagon.
Watch the final UFC 257 faceoff between Poirier and McGregor in the video above.
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Official weigh-ins for UFC 257 are now complete following Friday’s session. Check out our photo gallery and video highlights.
ABU DHABI – Official weigh-ins for UFC 257 are now complete following Friday’s session.
Saturday’s card, which takes place at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+, is headlined by a rematch between [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC UFC) and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who meet in a high-stakes lightweight contender matchup
Check out the weigh-in highlights in the video above, and a photo gallery from all of Friday’s happenings below.
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Watch UFC 257’s ceremonial weigh-ins live at 10 a.m. ET
ABU DHABI – UFC 257 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the early and official UFC 257 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
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After their respective opponents were forced out of UFC 257, Matt Frevola and Arman Tsarukyan have agreed to face off in a new matchup.
Just when he thought he was out, the UFC pulled [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] back in for UFC 257.
Frevola (8-1-1 MMA, 2-1-1 UFC) was originally booked to face Ottman Azaitar in a lightweight main card bout on Saturday night, and news emerged that his bout with Azaitar had been scratched from the fight card. Nonetheless, Frevola took to the scale and made weight at 155.5 pounds to keep himself in the mix for a potential replacement bout.
Initially, it appeared that Frevola would be left without a dance partner for Saturday’s event but, after Nasrat Haqparast was forced off the card due to illness, his lightweight bout with [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] was also scratched.
Following negotiations backstage at the host hotel on Yas Island, a new matchup has now been set, with two sources close to the situation confirming to MMA Junkie that Frevola and Tsarukyan (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) have agreed to face off in a new matchup on Saturday night.
Tsarukyan missed weight at the official weigh-ins, initially tipping the scale at 159 pounds, then returning for a second attempt and registering a final pre-fight weight of 157 pounds. It means the matchup will be contested as a catchweight bout.
With the newly-booked matchup now added to the card, the new lineup for UFC 257 includes:
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)
Go behind the scenes as Conor McGregor flips the switch during UFC 257 fight week.
The UFC returns Saturday night with its first pay-per-view offering of 2021, UFC 257, and the return of the promotion’s biggest star.
UFC 257 takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+
In the main event, former two-division champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] makes his highly anticipated return after one year off to rematch former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]. And in the co-headliner, former Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] finally makes his UFC debut looking to make a strong first impression against [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] in a pivotal fight at 155 pounds.
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The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the big-name stars and more. Here’s the UFC’s description from YouTube:
Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker train for their co-main bout. Joanne Calderwood tries fighting as the video game version of herself. Dustin Poirier gets a high-energy workout in, and Conor McGregor switches into fight mode.
Miss an episode? We’ve got them here for you:
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