As we head into the final pay-per-view of 2020 with UFC 256, let's take a sneak-peek into the first PPV of 2021 - UFC 257.

UFC 257 is set to take place at the Yas Islands in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and the PPV marks the return of the most popular fighter in the promotion's history, Conor McGregor.

1650 fc625d3b ufc 257
Photo: thesportsrush.com

McGregor makes his much-awaited return in the main event of UFC 257 in a rematch against Dustin Poirier. The pair fought previously in a featherweight clash at UFC 178 where McGregor won by first-round TKO. McGregor will face Dustin Poirier in January 2021, the UFC announced on Monday.

The fight will have massive implications in the title picture at lightweight division with the winner expected to fight for the 155lbs strap next.

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding UFC 257 as Dana White has previously stated that he's going to try and bring in fans for the event. White also spoke about resurrecting the International Fight Week in January with the PPV. We already know that McGregor and Poirier are set to face off in the main event, so let's take a look at the other fights that have been announced for the card, cites sportskeeda.com.

Announced matchups for UFC 257

UFC 257: Matchups and betting

Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin Umar is set to make his promotional debut at UFC 257 in a bantamweight encounter against fellow debutant Sergey Morozov. The pair was initially set to clash at UFC 254 but since Umar pulled out due to illness, the fight was rescheduled for UFC 257.

Interestingly, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be present to corner his cousin on the night and may even come face to face with his arch-rival Conor McGregor on the night.

An explosive flyweight encounter between Amir Albazi and Zhalgas Zhumagulov will also take place at UFC 257. The pair were initially set to fight at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Clark, but Zhumagulov was forced to pull out due to visa issues which led to the fight being rescheduled for the January PPV.

A women's flyweight bout between top-10 flyweight contenders Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood has been booked for UFC 257.

A women's strawweight bout between surging contenders Amanda Ribas and Marina Rodriguez is also in the works for UFC 257. Ribas was initially supposed to fight Waterson but the latter later pulled out and Rodriguez agreed to replace her.

Antonio Carlos Junior is set to face Brad Tavares in an exciting middleweight encounter at UFC 257. Andre Muniz will be looking to extend his unbeaten streak inside the octagon when he takes on Andrew Sanchez in another middleweight scrap on January 23, according to Combate.

Most recently, a featherweight encounter between Hakeem Dawodu and Shane Burgos has also been confirmed for the UFC 257 fight card.

Other announced fights on the card include a pair of lightweight bouts between Nasrat Haqparast and Arman Tsarukyan; and Ottman Azaitar and Matt Frevola.

UFC 257 PROPS: MCGREGOR VS. POIRIER

WILL THE FIGHT GO TO DISTANCE?

  • Fight goes to decision +333

  • Fight doesn't go to decision -500

HOW WILL THE FIGHT END?

  • McGregor wins by TKO/KO -137

  • Poirier wins by TKO/KO +350

  • McGregor wins by submission +1600
  • Poirier wins by submission +900
  • McGregor wins inside distance -175
  • Poirier wins inside distance +225
  • McGregor wins by decision +650
  • Poirier wins by decision +600

MCGREGOR VS. POIRIER BETTING ANALYSIS

I agree with McGregor being the rightful favorite in this matchup, so I’m not going to dispute that.

If we were to lean on the statistics a bit, as I like to do, we know that historically in rematches, the winner of the first tends to win the second about 7 out of 10 times. That gives us some good value on McGregor.

While being the more Poirier active of the two might be seen as an advantage by some, I will choose to look at the other side of the coin here.

Poirier takes damage when he fights. That’s been the narrative we’ve been getting with Dustin throughout his career, and it really makes sense when you watch some of his most recent outings. He had a dogfight with Hooker, and was hurt in his fights against Holloway, Alvarez (both times), and to top it all off he absorbed 115 strikes from hard-hitting Justin Gaethje.

McGregor, on the other hand, was only just hurt for the first time in his career against Khabib Nurmagomedov, and maybe a little bit against Nate Diaz too.

Aside from that, McGregor has been able to avoid taking tons of damage in his fight, and in his bouts against Alvarez and Cerrone, he did absorb a single punch, roughly speaking.

The question of Poirier’s durability has been hanging over his head ever since his KO loss to Michael Johnson, and with vast amounts of damage taken lately, I think McGregor’s absence from the cage will favor him against a more war-worn Poirier.

Throw in a two-inch reach advantage for McGregor, and we’ve got ourselves a UFC 257 main event pick.

My early lean has me going with Conor McGregor to get the win inside the distance against Poirier, on January 23rd, in the main event of UFC 257.

Who is Conor McGregor?

5231 conor
Photo: CBS Sports.com

Not for the first time, Conor McGregor has decided his UFC career is not over after all and will return to the octagon to face Dustin Poirier on 23 January.

The 32-year-old had announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in June, something he had also done in 2016 and 2019, but had talked about a fight with Poirier in recent months. McGregor has fought for a total of 40 seconds in 2020 after a swift TKO victory over Donald Cerrone in a welterweight contest at UFC 246.

According to McGregor’s official website, the fight will take place at 155lbs, most likely in Abu Dhabi. The two last fought each other in 2014, when McGregor won by TKO in the first round.

“I am very grateful to be about to return and get to do what I love again,” McGregor said earlier this month about a possible fight between the two. “I look forward to the fresh test Dustin will bring since our first bout, while also showcasing my own incredibly deep cache of weaponry. Whatever tool is needed on the night will be pulled from the duffel.”

In June, McGregor said he had decided to retire from fighting after becoming frustrated at problems arranging bouts due to the Covid-19 pandemic and clashes with UFC. “Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been! Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post one of my world title wins! Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you! Whatever you desire it’s yours.”

McGregor is the biggest draw in UFC history, thanks to his flamboyant personality and exciting fighting style. His rival Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from UFC last month two years after the pair’s title fight had ended in ugly scenes with members of their entourages brawling in the arena.

McGregor has also had several brushes with the law in recent years. The most recent came in November last year when he was fined €1,000 for assaulting a man in a Dublin pub who rejected his offer of a drink, according to theguardian.com.
Google Trends in the US: The Most Searched Games Google Trends in the US: The Most Searched Games

Now that 2020 is coming to an end and Google has just published the results of 2020's search trends about games. Check out this article ...
How to Stream or Record Your Games for Broadcast Online? How to Stream or Record Your Games for Broadcast Online?

Game broadcasting online is something trending as online gaming is a worldwide multi-billion-dollar industry that has been rapid in its growth rate. It is estimated ...
Top 10 Best Video Games Top 10 Best Video Games

2020 is considered an outstanding year of video games with an increasing number of players as millions of people are experiencing stay-at-home orders amid the ...