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The UFC has been in a tough position with Conor McGregor for his fight against Dustin Poirier. Given that he's their biggest star, the promotion hasn't been in any rush to book him in a fight behind closed doors.
There's no doubt that Conor McGregor generates the highest live gate revenue (along with PPV revenue), but he insisted that he wanted to fight in December and not January.
The UFC didn't budge and it was January 23rd that would become the finalized date for the PPV. Dana White wants to make the PPV the International Fight Week in Abu Dhabi. He told Barstool Sports that the new Etihad Stadium would be perfect and that he had concerts, pool parties, and various other things in mind to go with it.
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Dana White also admitted that he would like to have fans back for the Conor McGregor-headlined event, making it the first PPV since UFC 248 to have a live audience.
However, there's still a possibility that UFC 257 takes place at the Apex in Las Vegas (via Bloody Elbow):
While White would like UFC 257 to take place with a crowd in Abu Dhabi. There is a chance the ESPN+ streaming pay-per-view card could take place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. According to the minutes of the upcoming meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the UFC is requesting a permit to promote events on January 16, 23 and 30 at the Apex.
Is this a back-up plan for Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier?
The move to Las Vegas would likely be one that UFC would avoid during the pandemic since the likelihood of getting crowds is small. However, it could be unrealistic to hope that the UFC gets fans back by January 2021.
UFC knows that Conor McGregor is the biggest money superstar on their roster and while they would undoubtedly profit from PPV sales alone, live gate revenue has been a big loss for them.
Fight Island would be the most ideal location to host the Conor McGregor fight, but given the circumstances, anything can happen at this stage. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak revealed that the daily cases for COVID-19 had hit an all-time high with 2,416 cases in the last 24 hours.
