Tag: UFC on ABC 1

‘Fight Island’ commentary teams, broadcast plans set for three events ending with UFC 257

The broadcasting teams are set for UFC on ABC 1, UFC on ESPN 20 and UFC 257 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC’s 2021 schedule kicks off this week. A three-event stretch on “Fight Island” will usher in a new calendar year for the promotion, as UFC on ABC 1, UFC on ESPN 20 and UFC 257 are slated to unfold at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Similar to the promotion’s previous trips to the region, some very high-profile fights are set to unfold on the three fight cards that take place over one week’s time. And as always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.

Details of who will be working as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast teams for each event below.

Spinning Back Clique: How critical is mental aspect of McGregor vs. Poirier rematch at UFC 257?

Check out the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique” focused on the UFC’s upcoming three events on “Fight Island.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a quick spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, host John Morgan is joined by panelists Brian Garcia from MMA Junkie Radio, as well as MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn and Nolan King. Let’s get into it!

SHOW TOPICS:

  • Future UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier recently came out and said [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]’s mindset is key heading into his rematch with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] at UFC 257, that “The Diamond” needs to convince himself he just got caught in their first meeting. This comes on the heels of McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, stating that “The Notorious” should have a huge advantage in the mental department due to his first-round knockout in 2014, and McGregor saying he’ll score a knockout in less than a minute. The old cliche is “styles make fights,” but should it be “minds make fights”? How big is the mental aspect here?
  • Before UFC 257, the UFC’s “Fight Island” run kicks off with a sensational featherweight main event on network television with [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 1. For Kattar, it’s all upside, with a real chance to prove himself among the division’s elite. But for Holloway, it’s his first non-title fight since 2016 and would seem to be a potential crossroads fight, even at just 29 years old. That being said, how much pressure is on Holloway? Is this a must-win situation?
  • Looking outside of “Fight Island,” UFC president Dana White recently said he’s hoping to see [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] fight in 2021 but admitted he’s not incredibly optimistic. It’s been 14 months now since Diaz has fought, and we know he’s only coming back for the biggest fights available. What fight could entice Diaz to get back in the octagon?
  • [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] took home MMA Junkie “Fight of the Year” honors in 2020 for her epic battle with Zhang Weili, but right now, the former UFC champ said she’s content waiting on the sidelines until the right opportunity arises. She’d like more money and said fans are a must, and she really believes a title shot should be on the table, too. What do you make of her comments, and is there an ideal scenario you envision for her return this year?
  • Between UFC on ABC 1, UFC on ESPN 20 and UFC 257, what is one bold prediction for this three-event span on “Fight Island”?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 62 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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UFC on ABC 1: Make your predictions for Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ABC 1 event in Abu Dhabi.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ABC 1 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ABC 1 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ABC 1 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on ABC and ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the five main card fights below.

Calvin Kattar aims to be first to knock out Max Holloway | UFC on ABC 1

Calvin Kattar aims to be first to knock out Max Holloway | UFC on ABC 1

Calvin Kattar aims to be first to knock out Max Holloway | UFC on ABC 1

MMA Junkie Radio #3121 with guest Michael Chandler, UFC on ABC 1 preview, more

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.

With Mike Grundy out Saturday, Nik Lentz moves to UFC 257 vs. Movsar Evloev

Nik Lentz is in Abu Dhabi and was all set for a fight Saturday. Now he’s pushed back a week with a new opponent.

[autotag]Nik Lentz[/autotag] is in Abu Dhabi and was all set for a fight this week.

Now his plans have changed, and he won’t have to wait too long. Lentz (30-11-2 MMA, 14-8-1 MMA) was supposed to take on [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ABC 1. But Sunday, Grundy posted online that a member of his team tested positive for COVID-19, which will keep him from competing on the card.

Instead, Lentz will miss Saturday’s event and fight a week later at UFC 257 against new opponent [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC). MMA Junkie confirmed the new matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking following an initial report from MMADNA.com.

UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23 at Etihad Arena at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Lentz will be looking to snap a two-fight skid. In May 2019, he lost a second-round TKO in a rematch againnt Charles Oliveira. In January 2020, he dropped a decision to Arnold Allen. In that fight, Lentz took an eye poke and ultimately had to have a complicated surgery that could have left him worse off than when he started. But now he’s ready to return.

Evloev fought just once in 2020 and stayed unbeaten with a unanimous decision against Grundy in July. He was supposed to meet Nate Landwehr this past December, but tested positive for COVID-19 and went on the shelf. Now he’ll try to stay perfect against Lentz with a short-notice assignment.

Grundy was set to try to get back in the win column after his loss to Evloev until the positive test took him out of the fight. In a Twitter post, Grundy said the “devastating news” has him down for now, but plans to “run through the featherweight division” when he returns.

With the addition, the UFC 257 lineup now includes:

  • Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
  • Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker
  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
  • Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
  • Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
  • Sergey Morozov vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz

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Fan tickets gone in a hurry for Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier rematch at UFC 257 on ‘Fight Island’

Fans will be in attendance when the UFC returns to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi for a three-event stint starting next week.

Fans will be in attendance when the UFC returns to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi for a three-event stint starting next week.

And early Friday in the U.S., tickets already were gone not long after they went on sale for UFC 257 on Jan. 23. at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. That event features a rematch between former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier.

Tickets that started at $795 Arab Emirates Dirham (about $216 USD) and went all the way up to $4,995 AED ($1,360 USD) all show as sold out at Etihad Arena’s official website.

The website also lists an abundance of health and safety rules that must be adhered to by fans, and though a total number of tickets available was not announced, the site says “seating capacity has been reduced to comply with social distancing rules.”

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Tickets remain available for UFC on ABC 1 next Saturday, as well as UFC on ESPN 20, which takes place Wednesday, Jan. 20. UFC on ABC 1 will be headlined by a featherweight fight between former champion Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar. Four days later, Michael Chiesa meets Neil Magny in the UFC on ESPN 20 main event. Tickets start at $595 AED ($162 USD)

The three events will be the first time since March 2020 that the UFC will have fans in attendance. After getting past the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and cancellations of events, White and the UFC eventually put on a series of events without fans in Jacksonville, Fla., then have made the UFC Apex in Las Vegas its semi-permanent home, also without fans. In addition, the UFC twice in 2020 made multi-event visits to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi for fight cards without fans.

But the big-splash finale for the three-event run in Abu Dhabi over the course of just seven days is UFC 257, which will feature a rematch between former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier.

McGregor is the UFC’s biggest draw by far. He has headlined all but three of his 12 career UFC fights, including his past seven on pay-per-view. In January 2020, he fought Donald Cerrone and generated a reported 1 million pay-per-view buys, which was his lowest number since UFC 189 did a reported 825,000 buys for his interim featherweight title win over Chad Mendes. His UFC 229 submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov generated a reported UFC record 2.4 million buys.

Where the UFC will have to suffer likely significant losses are in the live gate totals that McGregor fights typically have generated, mostly in Las Vegas. His UFC 246 fight against Cerrone ha a live gate in excess of $11 million at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena and UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York each generated more than $17 million in live gate totals – an MMA record, as well as the Garden’s gate record.

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Fans are back: UFC will have ‘limited’ attendance at three-card ‘Fight Island’ stint at Etihad Arena

For the first time since March 2020, the UFC will put on events with non-essential event personnel – in this case, fans – in attendance.

For the first time since March 2020, the UFC will put on events with non-essential event personnel – in this case, fans – in attendance.

The promotion’s upcoming three-event stint at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi will take place not at Flash Forum on Yas Island, like its two 2020 visits to the country, but at Etihad Arena. In addition, a “limited number of spectators” will be able to watch the fights on site.

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism on Thursday made official the UFC’s next three events at Etihad Arena, starting with UFC on ABC 1 next Saturday. There was no mention about how many total fans will be allowed inside the venue. That event will be followed by UFC on ESPN 20 on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and UFC 257 on Jan. 23.

In November, UFC president Dana White said he would not be interested in putting on events in partially filled arenas or stadiums.

“I’ll stay here at the Apex instead of going somewhere where we can’t have a full crowd,” White said after UFC 255. “What I’m not going to do is I’m not going to take a 10,000-seat arena and sell 5,000 tickets. I’d rather stay (in Las Vegas).”

But White also said this past year that when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi, the partnership the promotion has with officials there would have him likely to cede to event organizers’ wishes for circumstances like a limited number of fans instead of a full house, and that appears to be the case.

After the UFC’s second Flash Forum series of events this past fall, the plan was for Etihad Arena to host future UFC fight cards in Abu Dhabi, which was posted to the arena’s official Twitter account in October.

After getting past the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and cancellations of events, White and the UFC eventually put on a series of events without fans in Jacksonville, Fla., then have made the UFC Apex in Las Vegas its semi-permanent home, also without fans. In addition, the UFC twice in 2020 made multi-event visits to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi for fight cards without fans.

UFC on ABC 1 will be headlined by a featherweight fight between former champion Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar. Four days later, Michael Chiesa meets Neil Magny in the UFC on ESPN 20 main event.

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But the big-splash finale for the three-event run in Abu Dhabi over the course of just seven days is UFC 257, which will feature a rematch between former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier.

McGregor is the UFC’s biggest draw by far. He has headlined all but three of his 12 career UFC fights, including his past seven on pay-per-view. In January 2020, he fought Donald Cerrone and generated a reported 1 million pay-per-view buys, which was his lowest number since UFC 189 did a reported 825,000 buys for his interim featherweight title win over Chad Mendes. His UFC 229 submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov generated a reported UFC record 2.4 million buys.

Where the UFC will have to suffer likely significant losses are in the live gate totals that McGregor fights typically have generated, mostly in Las Vegas. His UFC 246 fight against Cerrone ha a live gate in excess of $11 million at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena and UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York each generated more than $17 million in live gate totals – an MMA record, as well as the Garden’s gate record.

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