Ufc 257 fight Live

 

DUSTIN POIRIER VS. CONOR MCGREGOR

For the second year in a row, Conor McGregor headlines the first pay-per-view card of the year, but this time around, the former “Champ-Champ” will be operating out of the blue corner, with Dustin Poirier making the walk last and taking up residence in the red corner.

Poirier got back into the win column in 2020, partnering with Dan Hooker to author one of the best fights of the year, which saw “The Diamond” use his superior conditioning and experience to edge out the game New Zealand native in the tightly contested five-round affair. Now 10-2 with one no contest since returning to the lightweight ranks, Poirier has been one of the absolute best fighters on the planet over the last three years, and would cement his standing as such with a victory on Saturday.

McGregor had plans on fighting multiple times last year, but after a quick, clean performance against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, the Irishman remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the year.

This will be his first lightweight appearance since claiming the title at UFC 205, and just his fifth Octagon appearance since the start of 2016, so it will be interesting to see if the first fighter to hold championship gold in two weight classes simultaneously will waltz right back into the cage and reclaim a place in the title mix on Saturday night.

In addition to the obvious championship implications that come along with this contest, Saturday night’s main event is also a rematch, as Poirier and McGregor squared off at UFC 178 in September 2014, with “The Notorious” one earning a first-round stoppage win. A great deal has changed since then for both men, and it will be interesting to see how things will shake out in the second meeting between these two proud combatants.

Get your popcorn ready and buckle up because this one is going to be outstanding.

Before Poirier and McGregor battle for position in the championship chase, Dan Hooker welcomes Michael Chandler to the Octagon for the first time in a clash that will determine where each man stands in the lightweight pecking order.

Hooker made the move back to lightweight midway through 2017 and has gone 7-2 since, cementing his standing as a Top 10 fixture in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class with wins over the likes of Gilbert Burns, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder before going 25 hard minutes against Poirier in June. The City Kickboxing representative is a technical, punishing striker with toughness for days, and deserving of a seat at the table when the future of the division is being mapped out.

After more than a decade competing inside the Bellator cage, Chandler finally makes the move to the UFC and gets an immediate opportunity to establish himself as a contender in this matchup with Hooker.