UFC's Fight Island transforms a resort into a campus for its biggest matches - here's the full schedule of events and how to watch
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- UFC is running a series of events at a private island campus in Abu Dhabi, dubbed UFC Fight Island.
- The location allows fighters to circumvent US travel restrictions and gives UFC more control over COVID-19 safety measures.
- UFC 257 is the next planned event on Fight Island, featuring the return of Conor McGregor on January 23.
- You can stream UFC Fight Island matches on ESPN+, and some events are available on the ESPN network.
UFC Fight Island events transform Yas Island - a tourist destination in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - into a sprawling campus for more than 2,000 staff members and fighters.
COVID-19 has forced UFC to host most of its events at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but holding some matches at UFC Fight Island helps international fighters circumvent travel and visa restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The UFC has successfully held more than 10 separate events on Yas Island, reserving the resort for separate spans during the summer and fall of 2020, and winter of 2021.
The UFC Fight Island campus spans six square miles and includes training and medical facilities for fighters and staff. Fans cannot attend UFC Fight Island events due to the pandemic. According to the AP, about 2,000 people are working under UFC's Fight Island quarantine bubble.
In July 2020, UFC President Dana White shared a video showing a map of the facility and the precautions needed to get Fight Island up and running. UFC has implemented multiple safety precautions during the pandemic, including advanced medical screenings, regular testing, temperature checks, and social distancing guidelines.
Below, we've detailed all of the upcoming events scheduled for UFC Fight Island, along with details on how you can watch each. We'll update this article with more Fight Island matches as they're announced.
January 23 - UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor
UFC's next Fight Island pay-per-view event features the return of Connor McGregor, a former champion in multiple weight classes and one of the UFC's most recognizable stars. McGregor will fight #2-ranked lightweight Daniel Poirier for the second time in the main event of UFC 257.
McGregor won their first meeting back in 2014 with a first-round knockout. The two fighters were still in the featherweight class back then; in the years since Poirier has shot to the top of the lightweight division, while McGregor has only fought twice since 2016.
Both fighters could earn a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship with a win at UFC 257; reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in October 2020 after defeating McGregor, Poirier, and top-ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje in his last three fights.
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor will be streamed live on ESPN+, which costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. The pay-per-view event also costs an extra $69.99 to watch the main card. If you don't already have ESPN+, you can get 30% off by bundling the fight with a one-year ESPN+ subscription for $89.98. That's just $14 more than buying UFC 257 and a single month of ESPN+.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3ohcmmJ
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