The UFC kicked off 2021 in a big way on Saturday, heading to Abu Dhabi for UFC Fight Island 7, the first of three consecutive cards on “Fight Island” (Yas Island).
The promotion was also making its debut on ABC, marking its first foray onto broadcast television since 2018, when its deal with FOX came to an end.
Topping the main card, Max Holloway was lined up with Calvin Kattar in a key fight for the featherweight division. One that could potentially produce the next 145lb title contender, especially were Kattar to come out on top (a third fight between Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski might be a hard sell, should the champ get past Brian Ortega this March).
While not fight related per say — at least not regarding Saturday’s card — UFC Fight Island 7 also featured UFC President Dana White announcing the future of lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov to open the broadcast.
Also on the card: viral sensation Joaquin Buckley, the returning Santiago Ponzinibbio, and a long-awaited showdown in the co-main event between Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit and Matt “The Immortal” Brown.
Following Saturday’s UFC Fight Island 7 card, tune in for the post-fight press conference. The live stream can be viewed above.
