UFC 257 was a resounding success in many regards, and the numbers are out to back up this claim. Kevin Iole took to social media and shared some impressive details that gave context to the metrics of UFC 257. Chiefly, Iole had news to relay about the preliminary card that had impressive enough numbers to carry the show.
Given the firepower of the event’s marquee fights, it’s no surprise that UFC 257 ended up doing as well as it did. A Conor McGregor fight card was sure to be compelling enough from the get-go to bring in a large fanbase. However, the prelims managing to overshadow several other recent events is truly a victory.
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The #UFC257 prelims averaged 1.4 million viewers on ESPN and peaked at 1.7 million. It was most-watched UFC event telecast since 2.8.20. ESPN's most-watched program since Jan 17, the NFL postseason countdown.
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) January 26, 2021
The preliminary card featured some exciting names like veteran Brad Tavares and prospect Arman Tsarukyan. Additionally, fighters with fan-friendly pressuring styles like Nik Lentz and Khalil Rountree also were placed on the back end of UFC 257. Although some fights didn’t exactly deliver on the excitement scale, they served as a good precursor for the main event.
UFC 257: lightweight showcase
Despite the other match-ups on the card, the lightweight co-main and main event was undoubtedly the feature bouts. What’s more, it’s the overall intrigue surrounding the 155-pound division that made the fights even more compelling.
The divisional champion in Khabib Nurmagomedov will likely relinquish his title, and the four men in the prime fights knew that a statement performance would leave them in the driver’s seat.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 25: Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia announces his retirement in the Octagon after his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on October 25, 2020 on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dustin Poirier made good use of his main event showcase as he became the first man to TKO Conor McGregor in MMA. The statement performance was clean from the jump, as the Irishman had no answer for certain techniques. The win puts Poirier in a unique position to warrant the title being placed on him.
As for the co-main event, Michael Chandler truly used it to announce his presence atop the division’s elite. ‘Iron’ Chandler TKO’ed top-ranked contender Dan Hooker and is now within reach of a UFC title fight. However, there are other contenders such as Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, who have made strong cases for their shot at gold as well.
