Following the Holloway vs. Kattar and Chiesa vs. Magny events, the UFC continues its new year run at Fight Island – Etihad Stadium, Abu Dhabi, with another fantastic card this weekend. This includes the highly anticipated return of Conor McGregor who faces the challenge of perennial contender Dustin Poirier. With much history between the two lets breakdown the fight as well as the co-main event between Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler.
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor (Lightweight)
A lot has changed since the first bout between the two fighters in their Featherweight clash at UFC 178 in September 2014. McGregor went onto become the most famed fighter in the UFC as well as a business mogul, while Poirier went onto establish himself as a highly-respected stalwart of the Lightweight division, claiming interim gold against Max Holloway. Poirier’s only loss in his last 8 fights came at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor’s most recent conqueror. The first matchup was won by McGregor in spectacular fashion after Poirier was downed and beaten by a flurry of punches in the first round, and while anything can happen in MMA, Poirier is much improved in almost every facet since then.
This leaves much intrigue around the fight, while Conor is a heavy odds-on favourite, Dustin’s relentless style and strong chin might allow him to do some damage if he manages to catch Conor off-guard. Whether Poirier wants to fight on the inside or outside, Conor is a difficult puzzle to solve though. In his last fight, Conor demonstrated his innovative offence with his shoulders doing great damage to the face of Cowboy Cerrone while they were in a clinch. Of course fighting Conor at range leaves one exposed to the damaging straight left which reaches its target with the velocity of a hydraulic piston.
Poiriers run as of late demands respect having faced only the upper echelons of the division, and strong performances against them all will instill the level of confidence necessary when facing other elite fighters. His aggressive style is always entertaining and a win here would see his profile catapulted beyond the knowledge of a casual fan.
An interesting difference seen in both fighters is the lack of animosity between the two. In the leadup to the first fight, Conor was on his usual trend of getting inside his opponents head, and Poirier fought with emotion which became detrimental to his game plan and fuelled his desire to engage. This time however, there has barely been a negative word spoken between the two combatants and they have heaped praise on each other’s accomplishments and skill sets. Whether or not this will be a factor in the fight remains to be seen. Perhaps it’s maturity shining through, or McGregor figures Poirier is not susceptible to those tactics anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMFBEiAJaKc&ab_channel=UFC-UltimateFightingChampionship
Prediction: While there are many interesting factors affecting the fight, we don’t see the result changing from their first bout. A finish coming in the second round this time after some to and fro action in the first round for Conor.
Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler (Lightweight)
The co-main event sees Michael Chandler in his UFC debut having held the Lightweight title in Bellator on three separate occasions. The wrestling prodigy steps in against the rugged and rangy New Zealander Dan Hooker who took the fight when many others in the division rejected the opportunity. There’s a lot to lose and little to gain fighting an unranked but notoriously dangerous newcomer, but Hooker is that kind of guy. He’s continued to face top competition against ranked opponents and for the most part has come out on top. His last bout was against Dustin Poirier in a fight of the year candidate losing in a unanimous decision.
Michael Chandler whilst being a relative unknown to those who are exposed to only the UFC, his dominating wrestling and strong right hand will pose a threat to Hooker who himself is a strong puncher unafraid to turn a tactical affair into a street fight. The right hand of Chandler has been a great weapon in many of his wins in Bellator with victories coming from downing opponents and leaping on them with consistent right hands raining down until the stoppage.
Despite being in the UFC since 2014, Dan Hooker’s rise to prominence in the past couple of years has come from his willingness to take challenging bouts one after another, and him being able to utilise his kickboxing prowess to great effect against highly touted opponents.
Prediction: Hooker to win with a unanimous decision after another bloody battle and Fight of the Night honours. Chandler to show that despite “upgrading” promotions, he will still be a highly ranked lightweight moving forward.
Further down the card we also have Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood up against American Jessica Eye and the ever entertaining Brazilian Amanda Ribas against her countrymate Marina Rodriguez.
The main card starts at 3am in the early hours of Sunday morning in the UK and fans will be able to catch it all on BT Sport Box Office.
Be sure to catch the Embedded series on YouTube as well as UFC’s Countdown to join the hype!
When will UFC 257 start in the UK and how can I watch it?
UFC 257 is coming at us live from Abu Dhabi and the athletes are set to fight in the morning local time. As a result UK fans can expect the main event to start at around 3am.
The fight is avaiable to watch live BT Sport PPV costing £19.95
