There is no other Fight Week quite like a Conor McGregor Fight Week. No walkout quite like a McGregor walkout, no event quite like a McGregor card. UFC 257 once again had that electricity in the air, that extra “it” factor so many other fight cards lack.
McGregor’s second collision with Dustin Poirier on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi would answer a lot of questions. Not the least of which was, which man had improved more in the six years since their first meeting? But beyond that, the fight was likely to dictate who would next compete for the UFC lightweight championship — whether against Khabib Nurmagomedov, or for a vacant title.
The UFC 257 card, mind you, was built around two lightweight fights, not one. In the co-main event came the long-awaited debut of Bellator star Michael Chandler. A three-time champion and former face of the promotion, Chandler had long been considered one of, if not the, best lightweights outside the UFC.
No longer was he outside it, however. While he had signed with the promotion in 2020 and even weighed in as a backup at UFC 254, Chandler truly arrived on Saturday night. Whether or not that arrival was a successful one depended on how he looked against the always game Dan Hooker.
Tune in following Saturday night’s PPV card for the UFC 257 post-fight press conference. A live stream can be viewed above.
