Revenge is going to be at the forefront of Dustin Poirier’s mind this week. The current #2 UFC Lightweight fighter and former Lightweight champion is stepping into the Octagon for the first time in over six months. Who better to face off against than a man who gave him one of the only handful of defeats he’s suffered in his career? And it can’t be any sweeter that the man is the “Notorious” Conor McGregor, arguably the most brash fighter in UFC history. That’s what awaits UFC fans Saturday, January 23 when they get to experience UFC 257 on ESPN+.
Streaming exclusively on ESPN+, everyone’s eyes will be peeled on the card that’s battling it out at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. McGregor is stepping out of an announced retirement, having last fought in mid-January 2020 at the top of the bill for UFC 246, when he took down Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in just 40 seconds. Poirier won a unanimous decision over Dan Hooker last June to get back in the win column, rebounding after a tough loss to the same man, Khabib Nurmagomedov, that McGregor suffered his last defeat against. Both of these men lost to Khabib, the number one pound-for-pound fighter in UFC, in Lightweight title bouts respectively. The winner of this fight is rumored to be next to fight for the Lightweight championship, so there’s plenty at stake.
Their professional history against each other dates back to 2014 at UFC 178 when McGregor TKO’d Poirier in the first round. Now, Poirier seeks redemption. They are different fighters who have similar stats. McGregor is well-versed in knocking out his opponent, as 87% of his victories have come that way. Poirier is a much more balanced fighter, earning 52% of his wins via knockout, 24% by submission, and 24% by decision. But their metrics are almost identical when it comes to striking, as they each deliver 49% significant strikes, land arguably the same amount of strikes per minute, and are within one percentage point on their overall defense.
What’s shaping up to be a solid fight is made that much better with all that you’ll get with a subscription to ESPN+. Not only will you be able to see the PPV event of Poirier vs. McGregor in the main event that night, but you’ll also get the aforementioned Hooker taking on Michael Chandler and Matt Frevola meeting Ottman Azaitar in lightweight bouts, Jessica Eye battling Joanne Calderwood in a women’s flyweight bout, and Marina Rodriguez tussling with Amanda Ribas in a women’s strawweight bout. But that’s just that one night and just the main card. There’s so much more to see on
Viewers can save 30% by ordering the bundle of an ESPN+ annual subscription along with this fight. You can also save on a bundle of ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu to fill out your streaming subscriptions.
Don’t wait until the last minute to order the PPV. Sign up now for ESPN+ and enjoy all of the content leading up to UFC 257. Whether you’re rooting for Poirier or McGregor, at the end of the day, who doesn’t love a redemption story? See what’s going down at Fight Island, only on ESPN+.
