The return of Conor McGregor once again kicks off the PPV year for the UFC in 2021. Just as it did last year.
January 2020’s UFC 246 was a stunning success for “The Notorious,” as he made short work of the beloved Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. 2021’s UFC 257 has a different feel to it: McGregor is faced with a rematch against Dustin Poirier, a fighter much improved since their 2014 meeting at featherweight.
The winner could quite possibly be next in line for a shot at gold in the UFC’s stacked 155lb division. Depending on what champion Khabib Nurmagomedov decides about the future of his fighting career.
In the co-main event, meanwhile, former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler was finally making his UFC debut. After serving as a back-up for the UFC 254 main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, “Iron” Mike has drawn the always tough Dan Hooker for his debut assignment.
Friday morning was the last hurdle to clear, with all fighters from the UFC 257 card hitting the scales. A ceremonial weigh-in was also planned, kicking off at 10AM ET. You can view the live stream of that affair below. Full results from Friday’s UFC 257 weigh-in will be updated as they happen.
Conor McGregor was the first fighter on the scale Friday morning, with Dustin Poirier weighing in immediately after him. McGregor hit championship weight, while Poirier came in at 156lbs to make the main event official. Fifteen minutes later, and both Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler had hit the mark.
The lightweight bout between Matt Frevola and Ottman Azaitar was cancelled, per UFC officials. Frevola weighed in as a backup fighter.
The real drama came in the final fifteen minutes. Arman Tsarukyan missed weight for his bout with Nasrat Haqparast by three pounds. But Haqparast never weighed in, with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter later reporting that Haqparast was out of the fight.
Khalil Rountree Jr., meanwhile, came in 0.5lbs over the light heavyweight limit for his fight with Marcin Prachnio. He was given an additional hour to make weight. On his second attempt, he hit 206lbs.
Tsarukyan also weighed in a second time, shaving off an additional 2lbs. That still left him one pound over the lightweight non-title limit of 156lbs.
UFC 257: McGregor vs. Poirier 2 Weigh-In Results
Main Card (PPV)
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier (156) vs. Conor McGregor (155)
Lightweight: Dan Hooker (156) vs. Michael Chandler (156)
Women’s Flyweight: Jessica Eye (126) vs. Joanne Calderwood (126)
Lightweight: Matt Frevola (155.5) vs. Ottman Azaitar
Women’s Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (116)
Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+ / TSN)
Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan (157)*
Middleweight: Brad Tavares (185.5) vs. Antônio Carlos Júnior (185)
Women’s Bantamweight: Julianna Peña (136) vs. Sara McMann (135)
Light Heavyweight: Khalil Rountree Jr. (206)** vs. Marcin Prachnio (205)
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Middleweight: Andrew Sanchez (186) vs. Makhmud Muradov (186)
Catchweight (150lb): Movsar Evloev (150) vs. Nik Lentz (150)
Flyweight: Amir Albazi (126) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (126)
* Tsarukyan weighed in 3lbs above the lightweight limit. He continued to cut weight and hit 157lbs on his second attempt. Original opponent Nasrat Haqparast did not weigh in.
** Roundtree Jr. missed weight by 0.5lbs (206.5lbs) on his first attempt, and was given one hour to continue his cut. He weighed in successfully at 206lbs on his second attempt.
