UFC 257: MCGREGOR vs POIRIER

McGregor vs Poirier will be the main MMA event of early 2021. The UFC 257 Card takes place on Saturday, 23rd, and Sunday, 24th, at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The return of Irish superstar Conor McGregor to the Octagon features the second clash with former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

The two fighters had already faced each other in September 2014 during UFC 178. McGregor defeated his opponent by a TKO after 1 minute and 46 seconds on that occasion. Since that bout, McGregor has 6 wins and 2 losses to his account.

The fight, which is part of the UFC 257 Fight Card, will be broadcasted live on BT Sport Box Office, starting around 5 a.m.

Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier

Nicknamed “The Diamond,” the 32-year-old American fighter made his professional debut in May 2009 in tournaments at lightweight. After a string of victories in 2011, he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship at featherweight.

Poirier has fought a total of 33 professional fights. He has won 26, of which 12 by knockout, seven by submission and seven by unanimous decision. He lost six of them, including one to McGregor. The fight with Eddie Alvarez in May 2017 was declared ‘no contest’, as the opponent hit Poirier with knees to the head.

In 2015, Poirier returned to fighting in the lightweight category. After a streak of wins, he was able to capture the interim UFC lightweight title in April 2019 by beating compatriot Max Holloway. Subsequently, he challenged Russian champion Khabib for the unified lightweight title in Abu Dhabi, but suffered a third-round loss.

He returned in 2020 to the Octagon, challenging and beating New Zealand’s Dani Hooker by unanimous decision. Now the UFC 257 Fight Card as a great challenge is ahead of him, in which he is certainly not considered the favourite.

Conor “The Notorious” McGregor

The Irish champion returns to the UFC Octagon exactly one year after his last appearance in a welterweight bout against American Donald Cerrone. Back then, McGregor defeated his opponent by technical knockout just 40 seconds into the fight (UFC 246).

McGregor is a former lightweight and featherweight champion. With his victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016, he became the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold two world titles. Furthermore, Conor is only the third fighter in history to win the belt in two different weight classes.

During his pro career, which began in 2008, he earned 22 wins, including 19 knockouts, and four losses. His last defeat dates back to October 2018, when the Notorious lost the lightweight title to Russian champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0).

The Irish superstar was implicated in legal problems for a while and obtained his professional boxing licence from the California Athletic Commission in 2016. Hence, he had decided to challenge the undefeated and multiple champion Floyd Mayweather. The two fighters entered the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 26 August 2017. The bout ended with Mayweather winning by technical knockout in the tenth round.

Fight Card UFC 257: McGregor vs Poirier on BT Sport Box Office

In addition to the highly anticipated main event, the UFC 257 fight card features other exciting battles.

Here’s the full main card schedule:

Light Heavyweight: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
Light Heavyweight: Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler
Women’s Flyweight: Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood
Light Welterweight: Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar
Women’s Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas

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