Report: UFC 257 Sells 1.6 Million Pay-Per-View Buys

Conor McGregor’s return to action brought yet another pay-per-view bonanza for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, UFC 257 sold 1.2 million pay-per-view buys in the United States and another 400,000 internationally. The UFC does not officially release pay-per-view buy rates.

UFC 257 took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23 and saw Dustin Poirier knock out McGregor in the second-round of the evening’s lightweight main event. It was a rematch of a 2014 bout won by McGregor via first-round TKO. The pay-per-view aired via ESPN+ in the United States. ESPN will reportedly issue partial refunds to those who experienced streaming problems after purchasing the event.

When final figures are compiled, UFC 257 could end up as the promotion’s No. 2 selling event of all time. McGregor’s fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomeodv, which drew a reported 2.4 million buys in October 2018, is No. 1, whil…

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Middleweights Darren Till, Marvin Vettori Agree to Meet in UFC Main Event on April 10

Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com Credit: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com

Darren Till and Marvin Vettori are expected to square off in the headliner of an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on April 10.

ESPN was first to report the middleweight booking. Till and Vettori have verbally agreed to the contest, but contracts have not yet been signed. A location for the UFC card has not been announced.

A former welterweight title challenger, Till is 1-1 since moving up to 185 pounds. After taking a split decision against Kelvin Gastelum in his middleweight debut at UFC 244, “The Gorilla” dropped a closely-contested five-round verdict to former champion Robert Whittaker in the UFC on ESPN 14 headliner this past July. Till was supposed to face Jack Hermansson on Dec. 5 but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

An emerging star in the middleweight division, Vettori has won four consecutiv…

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Ex-Bellator, One Title Holder Ben Askren to Face Jake Paul in Boxing Match on April 17

Its cute that Jake thinks he is a real fighter, Im gonna beat him up April 17 https://t.co/XcsJ8WhmR3

— Funky (@Benaskren) January 26, 2021

Retired mixed martial artist Ben Askren is making his return to combat sports to face YouTube star Jake Paul in a professional boxing bout on April 17.

Both Askren and Paul announced the matchup on social media following an initial report from ESPN. A weight class for the bout, which will take place under the Triller Fight Club banner, has not been determined. The combatants will fight in a 20-by-20 ring and wear 10-ounce gloves. The event will air on pay-per-view, but a location has not been finalized.

Askren retired from mixed martial arts in November 2019 to have hip replacement surgery and underwent a successful procedure this past August. The 36-year-old known as “Funky” ended his MMA tenure after back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia in the UFC. A two-time NCAA wrestling champio…

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Ex-Bellator, One Titleholder Ben Askren to Face Jake Paul in Boxing Match on April 17

Its cute that Jake thinks he is a real fighter, Im gonna beat him up April 17 https://t.co/XcsJ8WhmR3

— Funky (@Benaskren) January 26, 2021

Retired mixed martial artist Ben Askren is making his return to combat sports to face YouTube star Jake Paul in a professional boxing bout on April 17.

Both Askren and Paul announced the matchup on social media following an initial report from ESPN. A weight class for the bout, which will take place under the Triller Fight Club banner, has not been determined. The combatants will fight in a 20-by-20 ring and wear 10-ounce gloves. The event will air on pay-per-view, but a location has not been finalized.

Askren retired from mixed martial arts in November 2019 to have hip replacement surgery and underwent a successful procedure this past August. The 36-year-old known as “Funky” ended his MMA tenure after back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia in the UFC. A two-time NCAA wrestling champio…

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Flyweight Title Bout Headlines Legacy Fighting Alliance’s 100th Event on Feb. 19

When your head is turning purple, you know the tap is coming soon! #LFA95 pic.twitter.com/wbSWMGYrJ4

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 21, 2020

A flyweight championship tilt between Victor Altamirano and Carlos do Carmo Motta will serve as the headliner for Legacy Fighting Alliance’s centennial event on Feb. 19.

The promotion announced the card on Tuesday. LFA 100 takes place at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, and also includes a middleweight tournament semifinal between Anthony Adams and Gregory Rodrigues. The card will stream on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, and a limited amount of fans will be allowed to attend. The winner of Altamirano vs. Motta will become LFA’s seventh 125-pound champion, the last four of which are currently in the UFC.

The 30-year-old Altamirano enters the matchup on the strength of back-to-back wins over Chris Ocon and Lloyd McKinney in 2020. He owns an 8-1 career mark, with all of his triumph…

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UFC 257 Medical Suspensions: Conor McGregor Facing Potential 180-Day Term

Conor McGregor might not be able to make as quick a turnaround as he might like following his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier.

McGregor is facing a 180-day medical suspension unless he is cleared by a right tibia/fibula X-ray. At a minimum, the former two-division champion is suspended 45 days with 30 days of no contact. The UFC released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com on Monday.

UFC 257 took place on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and saw Poirier knock out McGregor 2:32 into the second round of their headlining lightweight rematch. Poirier, like everyone on the card, received a mandatory seven-day medical suspension.

Two other competitors from UFC 257 are facing potential 180-day terms pending medical clearance: Andrew Sanchez (nose, tibia/fibula) and Matt Frevola (right hand).

UFC 257 Medical Suspensions:

Conor McGregor: 180 days or cleared by right tibia/fibula X-ray; minimum 45 days with 30 days n…

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Updated: UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn Arrested, Released on Suspicion of DUI in Hawaii

BJ Penn clearly drunk as he’s arrested. I hope he receives the assistance he needs... pic.twitter.com/5Idv7tXSl7

— Michael Morgan (@mikewhoatv) January 25, 2021

B.J. Penn had another run-in with the law this past weekend.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, the UFC Hall of Famer was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Honokaa, Hawaii, after police received a reckless driving complaint. Penn was eventually released after an investigation, but his blood-alcohol level was not provided.

Additionally, video of what appears to be a belligerent Penn being guided into a police car surfaced on Monday.

Later, the Hawaii Police Department released further details regarding the incident. The statement regarding Penn is as follows:

Jay Penn of Hilo, also known as BJ Penn, was arrested Saturday, January 23, 2021, for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants.

About 4:51 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Hawai‘i Police Depar…

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Coach: Conor McGregor Wants Trilogy Bout vs. Dustin Poirier to Be for Lightweight Belt

In the aftermath of his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, Conor McGregor didn’t waste much time before mentioning the possibility of a trilogy.

According to his coach, John Kavanagh, the Irish superstar wants the stakes raised: Ideally, a third meeting between the two lightweights would be for the vacant 155-pound belt.

“That’s the big drive,” Kavanagh told ESPN. “It’s 1-1, they’re right up there in the rankings, they’re very popular fighters. I think the two of them are a beautiful matchup. Stylistically, it’s beautiful to watch. I’d love to see lots and lots of rounds between the two of them.

“Dustin is obviously riding high with confidence now with more experience and more weight. He took some of those shots. I’m sure his confidence is super high at the moment. We have to fix that technique with the leg and a couple of other things, as well, but Dustin vs. Conor 3 for the belt in maybe May, that would be amazing.”

McGregor defeated Poirier via first-…

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Dana White: Plans Tentative, But UFC Might Not Return to ‘Fight Island’ Until Summer

The UFC just wrapped up a whirlwind week in Abu Dhabi, with three events in an eight-day span.

Though the promotion’s plans remain ever-tentative in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, it doesn’t sound as though a return to “Fight Island” will happen until summer. As of now, events through March — and likely beyond — are expected to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“If I had to map it out in my head, we’d come back in June or July,” Dana White said at the UFC 257 post-fight press conference on Saturday night. “Who knows? While we were here there was a new inauguration and we’ll see what happens.

“Traveling in America I think is gonna be another massive challenge for us this year.”

One positive from the series of events at Etihad Arena this past week was the presence of fans in the 18,000-seat venue, which coincided with Conor McGregor’s return to action. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, only about 2,000 people were allowed to attend each card. Still, it made…

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Charles Oliveira Says He, Not Michael Chandler, Should Face Dustin Poirier for UFC Title

There was likely no other fighter who was more interested in the top two fights at UFC 257 than lightweight contender Charles Oliveira.

Coming off eight straight wins — seven via submission or TKO — including an impressive triumph over former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, the Chute Boxe fighter is confident he should face Dustin Poirier for the 155-pound belt next. Poirier, of course, knocked out Conor McGregor in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Sherdog.com spoke with Oliveira and his trainer, Diego Lima, at approximately the same time UFC president Dana White was starting the post-fight press conference on Saturday night.

"There is no other path to go. I´m coming from a sequence of eight wins. If Khabib [Nurmagomedov] returns, I'm the only one in the Top 4 that didn’t face him. It's me and him or Poirier, who did a great job against McGregor and already knocked out [Justin] Gaethje. So the only fight would make sense is myself a…

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Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa Targeted to Headline UFC Event on April 17

A pivotal middleweight middleweight showdown between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa has been targeted for April 17.

Sherdog.com confirmed with sources from both camps that Whittaker and Costa are in negotiations to headline the UFC Fight Night card, likely in Las Vegas. However, an interim title will not be on the line as Whittaker had previously hoped. Reigning 185-pound champ Israel Adesanya is slated to move up a division to challenge light heavyweight title holder Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 on March 6. The UFC has not officially confirmed the April 17 card.

Whittaker lost the middleweight crown to Adesanya at UFC 243 via second-round KO in October 2019. Since then, “The Reaper” has rebounded to post decision wins over contenders Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. The 30-year-old Sydney-based fighter has won 11 of his last 12 Octagon appearances.

Costa, meanwhile, suffered his first professional defeat in 14 outings when he was stopped by Adesanya in the secon…

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Tyron Woodley vs. Vicente Luque in the Works for UFC 260 on March 27

A welterweight clash pitting Tyron Woodley against Vicente Luque has nearly been finalized for UFC 260.

Promotion broadcast partner ESPN was first to report the booking on Sunday. The bout has not been formally announced by the UFC because contracts have not been signed. UFC 260 takes place on March 27 and is headlined by a heavyweight title tilt between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. A location for the card has not been announced.

A former welterweight champion, Woodley heads into the matchup with Luque looking to snap a three-bout losing streak. “The Chosen One” relinquished his crown in a lopsided five-round decision loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 and wasn’t especially competitive in subsequent five-round defeats against top 170-pound contenders Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington in his two 2020 appearances. Prior to that, Woodley successfully defended his belt four times after knocking out Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 to become champion.

Luque, meanwhile, is …

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