Main Card starts at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV
Prelims on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET
Early Prelims on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET
Extensive week-long coverage highlighted by a live one-hour UFC 257 Pre-Show on ABC at 2 p.m. ET
To sign up or purchase PPV, visit ESPNPlus.com/ufc
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2, the highly-anticipated rematch that has been years in the making, will stream exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 p.m. ET. The main event features former two-division champion Conor McGregor (22-4) against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier (26-6), in a rematch from their meeting at UFC 178 in 2014 a first-round TKO victory for McGregor. It will be the final of three events in a week from UFC FIGHT ISLAND in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Arguably the biggest star in mixed martial arts’ history, McGregor has not fought since his spectacular return at UFC 246 in January 2020, a resounding defeat of UFC’s all-time leader in wins and finishes, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion, he enters the Octagon with a record of 22 wins and 4 losses. The first simultaneous two-belt champion in UFC history, McGregor has had spectacular wins over Nate Diaz, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway, in addition to championship victories over Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.
Considered one of the most talented fighters in the lightweight division, Poirier looks to keep his momentum going after a thrilling “Fight of the Year” candidate performance in June 2020 against Dan Hooker. Poirier has secured wins over former UFC champions Max Holloway (twice), Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis.
The co-main will feature a lightweight bout between No. 6-ranked Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler, the former Bellator MMA lightweight champion who will be making his UFC debut. Elsewhere on the main card, women’s flyweight contenders collide when No. 6-ranked Jessica Eye and No.7-ranked Joanne Calderwood square off. Illustrating the depth of the lightweight division, Matt Frevola faces undefeated Ottman Azaitar. The main card will kickoff with a clash between women’s strawweights as No.8-ranked Marina Rodriguez looks to rebound from her first career by facing No. 10-ranked Amanda Ribas, one of the fastest rising prospects in the division.
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 will begin with early prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, with prelims at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. Live coverage begins with UFC Live: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 Pre-Show, airing on ABC at 2 p.m. ET.
On Friday, UFC Live will air on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. E, providing fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 257.
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 Original Content:
- UFC 257 Countdown: Poirier vs McGregor 2: The show gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the training camps for the main and co-main fighters.
- Unlocking Victory: UFC 257 is now available on ESPN+
- Ariel & the Bad Guy: Part 1 & 2 are now available on ESPN+
- SportsCenter (Thur.-Sun): Brett Okamoto will host segments from UFC FIGHT ISLAND for ESPN’s flagship news and information program. Coverage includes segments from the Final Press Conference on Thurs., Jan 21, and live cut-ins of Poirier and McGregor’s walkouts on Saturday night
- First Take (ESPN2), Stephen A’s World (ESPN+): Both shows will feature interviews with Poirier and McGregor on Thurs., Jan 21
- ESPN’s SportsScience narrated by Chael Sonnen takes a look at McGregor’s punching power and accuracy, debuting on SportsCenter on Fri., Jan. 22
- Today on the ESPN Daily podcast: ESPN’s Ariel Helwani joins show host Pablo Torre and shares his insights on McGregor from a recently conducted interview with the fighter
ESPN.Com
- How 10 weeks in Portugal changed Conor McGregor
- Why UFC 257 will tell us everything we need to know about Conor McGregor
- Helwani: How a calm, focused Conor McGregor surprised me ahead of UFC 257
- With relationship repaired, Dana White says “real” Conor McGregor ready for UFC 257
- Out Wednesday: Main event breakdown
- Expert Picks
- Out Friday: Viewers Guide
- Out Friday: The heart of a fighter: Inside Dustin Poirier's UFC journey and his rematch with Conor McGregor
- How to watch and stream, plus expert analysis and predictions
- ESPN’s UFC 257 Pick’Em – fans can play for FREE and compete for a chance to win $5,000
Social: @ESPNMMA Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Fans can sign-up for ESPN+ at any time at ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or on the ESPN App and purchase UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2.
Programming (All times ET)
*immediately following main card
Main Card, Prelims and Early Prelims (All times ET)
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 318 million fans and 126 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 171 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 72 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 11.5 million subscribers.
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
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