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I'M SO PUMPED FOR THIS FIGHT!!!@dustinpoirier vs @thenotoriousmma is LIVE SATURDAY on @espn+ PPV! #UFC257 #InAbuDhabi @visitabudhabi pic.twitter.com/4DtwtmaUiW

— danawhite (@danawhite) January 18, 2021

The hype continues to build for the UFC 257 headliner on Saturday.

UFC president Dana White on Monday released the pay-per-view introduction, which is narrated by Ron Perlman. UFC 257 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is topped by a rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The main card airs via pay-per-view on ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Early prelims air on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m./4:30, while the rest of the preliminary draw airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

McGregor will be making his first Octagon appearance in a year, and an impressive victory could land him a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov down the road. The Irish star defeated Poirier via TKO in their first meeting at UFC 178 in…

Calvin Kattar has spoken for the first time since his loss to Max Holloway in the UFC on ABC 1 main event.

“The Boston Finisher” did not address the media after absorbing a UFC record 445 significant strikes in a five-round unanimous decision defeat at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi because he was taken to a hospital immediately after the bout. Instead, Kattar released a brief statement via social media on Monday.

“Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up,” Kattar wrote. “With goals so strong that obstacles, failure and loss only act as motivation.

“Props to Max on a hell of a fight he deserves all the praise. Thankful for my team’s commitment for this fight. On to the next. There is no stopping the man who doesn’t quit.”

Kattar displayed tremendous toughness as he survived 25 minutes with Holloway. On a couple occasions it appeared that referee Herb Dean would halt the featherweight contest, but Kattar always managed to show just enough to allow…

Two more bouts have been added to the UFC Fight Night event on March 13, as Zubaira Tukhugov will meet Ricardo Ramos at featherweight, while Guram Kutateladze will face Don Madge at lightweight.

Tass was first to report Tukhugov vs. Ramos, while MMAjunkie.com initially brought word of Kutateladze vs. Madge. The event, which does not have an official location, is headlined by a welterweight clash pitting Leon Edwards against Khamzat Chimaev.

Tukhugov split a pair of bouts in 2020, defeating Kevin Aguilar via first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 168 before dropping a split decision to Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 253. Ramos, meanwhile, had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his lone appearance last year, a first-round stoppage loss against Lerone Murphy at UFC on ESPN 13.

Kutateladze extended his professional winning streak to nine with a split-decision verdict over former KSW champ Mateusz Gamrot in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 180 on Oct. 17. Madge is cur…

It should come as no surprise that Calvin Kattar received one of the longest medical suspensions following UFC on ABC 1.

Kattar is facing a potential 180-day layoff following a lopsided five-round defeat to Max Holloway in Saturday’s featherweight headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. “The Boston Finisher” must receive doctor clearance on his nose to have that term reduced. At a minimum, Kattar is suspended 60 days with 45 days of no contact. Holloway, meanwhile, is suspended 30 days with 21 days of no contact.

The UFC, which served as its own regulating body for the event, released a full list of medical suspensions to mixedmartialarts.com on Monday. Everyone on the card received at least a seven-day mandatory suspension.

Justin Tafa was the only other fighter to receive a potential 180-day suspension, as he needs a negative left-thumb X-ray to be cleared following a loss to Carlos Felipe at heavyweight.

UFC on ABC 1 Medical Suspensions:

Max Hol…

Santiago Ponzinibbio waited more than two years to return to the Octagon, but his first appearance since November 2018 was over in less than five minutes.

The 34-year-old Argentina native suffered a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Jingliang Li in a featured welterweight bout at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, ending a seven-bout winning streak that began in December 2015. “Gente Boa” had a chance to re-establish himself as one of the 170-pound division’s top contenders with a victory after an a lengthy absence that included a serious bacterial infection, a broken toe and a battle with COVID-19. Now, he has to rebuild.

Ponzinibbio issued a heartfelt statement via Instagram on the heels of his loss to Li.

I have no words to describe the sadness I feel,” he wrote. “I wanted to return giving a victory, you deserve it for so much support. I worked very hard for this event, a whole year of preparation but this sport is like that, there is a part out o…

If there was any doubt that Max Holloway remained a championship caliber featherweight heading into UFC on ABC 1, “Blessed” laid waste to those sentiments with a shellacking of Calvin Kattar in Saturday’s main event.

With a record-setting offensive performance, Holloway earned a lopsided unanimous verdict over one of the division’s rising contenders at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. In the process, the Hawaiian likely earned himself another shot at 145-pound gold – even if Alexander Volkanovski is still champion by the time that date arrives.

“I think we have to [give Holloway a trilogy with Volkanovski]. I think we have to,” White said at the UFC on ABC 1 post-fight press conference. “I mean, when you’re the champion, you have the top five guys in the world gunning at you. When you’re the No. 1 contender in the world, you’ve got the top 10 guys in the world. Sometimes, No. 8 is more dangerous than No. 3.

“Tonight, he fought a bad dude that a lot of people thought w…

Crafty takedown by the veteran @CarlosCondit #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/0FwGMeWDMt

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 16, 2021

While he can stomach a defeat, Matt Brown was undeniably miffed that Carlos Condit swept the scorecards in their co-main event bout at UFC on ABC 1.

“The Immortal” felt that he did enough to win the welterweight contest thanks to positional control, but even if that wasn’t the case, Brown can’t fathom how the judges elected to award all three rounds to his opponent. The opening frame was arguably Brown’s best, when he landed a takedown and maintained 3:36 of control time, according to UFCStats.com.

“30-27 is ridiculous,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “I won the first round 100%. He won the second for sure, and the third is really close but I ended on top. Should have got the decision [in my opinion], but if he got it based on just the third round I wouldn’t be mad. F--ing judges.”

30-27 is ri…

The beating that Calvin Kattar absorbed in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner is one that could potentially take years off a fighter’s career.

While a lesser athlete might have wilted earlier, Kattar made it until the final horn against Max Holloway on Saturday, absorbing a whopping 445 significant strikes in the process. Holloway was in peak form in the featherweight bout, as he relentlessly attacked with punching combinations to the head and body, knees, kicks and elbows. On a couple occasions, Kattar appeared to be on the verge of being stopped, but each time, he showed just enough fight for referee Herb Dean to allow the bout to continue.

If it were up to UFC president Dana White, Kattar wouldn’t have been allowed to showcase his toughness for as long as he did. As it was, the Massachusetts native was ushered straight to a local hospital following the conclusion of the bout.

“I thought the fight should have been stopped in the fourth round,” White said at the UFC o…

If Khabib Nurmagomedov elects to return to the Octagon for one last fight, he figures to have plenty of suitors.

While some of the most likely potential opponents — Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker — occupy the upcoming UFC 257 card, Max Holloway wouldn’t back down if given the opportunity. The former featherweight champion returned to peak form in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner Saturday, as he authored a record-setting beatdown of Calvin Kattar at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

One day prior to the event, Nurmagomedov and UFC president Dana White met to discuss the lightweight champion’s plans. The session wasn't particularly revealing, but “The Eagle” did leave the door slightly open for a comeback.

“Khabib wanted somebody to impress him, if I did impress him – because I know the way he thinks,” Holloway said. “He wants to fight for his legacy, he doesn’t care about money. He wants the toughest opponents. If I got to push him over the…

According to his Facebook, former UFC fighter Paul Varelans passed away today after a long battle with COVID.

I talked to Paul for a couple of my books and he was a fun guy with a big sense of humor.

Will be missed. pic.twitter.com/xbfScMWPTg — The OFFICIAL MMA Encyclopedia (@JESnowden) January 17, 2021

UFC pioneer Paul Varelans has died after a lengthy fight against COVID-19.

Varelans passed away due to complications from the virus on Saturday, according to his Facebook page. He initially revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis via social media on Dec. 12. “Best way I can compare the feel of COVID-19 in my experiance [sic] is it’s like fighting a guy who specializes in kidney punches they never stop coming,” he wrote regarding the illness.

Less than a week later, he was placed on a ventilator in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Atlanta. Varelans was 51 years old.

A 6-foot-8, 300-pound Alaska native who played college f…

Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou will square off for a second time with heavyweight gold on the line at UFC 260.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the pairing during the UFC on ABC 1 post-fight press conference on Saturday. UFC 260 takes place on March 27 at an as yet to be announced location and will see Alexander Volkanovski defend his featherweight crown against Brian Ortega in the co-main event.

Miocic earned a convincing five-round verdict against Ngannou during his first title reign at UFC 220 in January 2018. The Ohio-based firefighter then went 2-1 in a trilogy with Daniel Cormier, concluding that rivalry with a decision win at UFC 252 this past August. Miocic has won eight of his last nine UFC bouts overall.

Ngannou is currently on a four-bout winning streak in which he has finished all four of his foes inside of a round. Most recently, “The Predator” knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249 in May 2020.

Max Holloway’s brilliance and Calvin Kattar’s toughness earned them a little extra bonus money on Saturday night.

Holloway and Kattar received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their five-round battle in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Holloway put on a clinic in earning a trio of lopsided scorecards from the cageside judges, but Kattar kept swinging right up until the final horn in a memorable kickoff to the promotion’s 2021 schedule.

Elsewhere, Jingliang Li earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check by spoiling the return of Santiago Ponzinibbio in a featured welterweight affair. A massive counter left hook from “The Leech” floored Ponzinibbio and a follow-up hammerfist snapped his foe’s seven-bout winning streak 4:25 into Round 1.

Finally, Alessio Di Chirico garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for flipping the script on viral knockout artist Joaquin Buckley in a main-card midd…