The UFC is officially headed back to Fight Island for its first slate of events in 2021, and it includes the return of former two-weight champion Conor McGregor at UFC 257.
UFC president Dana White announced on Tuesday that McGregor's nontitle lightweight fight against Dustin Poirier on Jan. 23 will take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The pay-per-view-event will cap off a series of three events in seven days: UFC Fight Night events on Jan. 16 and Jan. 20, followed by UFC 257.
A previously announced featherweight bout between former champion Max Holloway (21-6) and Calvin Kattar (22-4) will headline the card on Jan. 16. According to White, a welterweight matchup featuring 2020 breakout star Khamzat Chimaev (9-0) and title contender Leon Edwards (18-3) will serve as the main event on Jan. 20.
Per sources, the UFC is also finalizing a new welterweight matchup between Michael Chiesa (16-4) and Neil Magny (24-7) for the Jan. 20 event. Chiesa or Magny would presumably serve as a potential backup option for the main event, should anything happen to that 170-pound fight.
Mike Jackson (1-1) will also return to action on the Jan. 20 card in a 170-pound bout versus Dean Barry (3-1), who will be making his UFC debut, per sources. This will mark Jackson's first fight since his June 2018 win over former WWE star CM Punk at UFC 225 in Chicago.
This will mark the UFC's third trip to Abu Dhabi since the promotion's operations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The UFC has held its events exclusively in either Yas Island or Las Vegas since mid-May. Previously, events in Yas Island have taken place without fans inside Flash Forum; however, there has been discussion around moving events to Etihad Arena and including fans. Those details are not yet completed.
This will also mark the second year in a row that McGregor (22-4) headlines the UFC's first pay-per-view event of the year. He headlined UFC 246 in January 2020, and knocked out Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in just 40 seconds. That would turn out to be McGregor's only appearance of 2020. He has fought only twice since capturing the 155-pound title in 2016.