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UFC 257 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi will have 2,000 spectators. The arena, which can accommodate up to 18,000 people, will have only 11 per cent of its seats available for the event on January 23.
TSN Sports' Aaron Bronsteter reported the figure revealed by the UFC. The reporter also shared the guidelines stipulated by the promotion for those who bought tickets and will be present in UFC 257.
The announcement that the event would be partially open to the public happened after UFC president Dana White stated last year that he did not want to have fans if the venue would not be full. However, White had to go against his word to satisfy the Emirati organizers.
"The capacity for the UFC event per fight will be around 2,000 spectators, as the safety and well-being of guests and staff is the top priority," reads the UFC statement.
Ticket prices for the UFC triple-header week's chief event were available, ranging from $215 to $1,350. In comparison, the UFC sold tickets for the other two Fight Night events for $162 and up to $352.
For entering the Etihad Arena, fans will have to provide a 48-hour Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, which will indicate whether the person is COVID-19 free. Failure in doing so will result in no entry to UFC 257.
Who is fighting at UFC 257?
UFC 257 will pit former UFC double-champion Conor McGregor against former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier for its main event.
Besides the highly-anticipated bout between McGregor and Poirier that can define the UFC lightweight next champion in the future, other exciting fights were added to the UFC 257 fight card.
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler will make his UFC debut after joining the promotion from Bellator against No. 6 in the lightweight ranking, Dan Hooker.
Another debut set to happen at UFC 257 is Umar Nurmagomedov's. The cousin of retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will step into the octagon for the first time against Sergey Morozov.
This is the fight card for UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi at the moment:
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor (Lightweight) - Main Event
Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker (Lightweight)
Sergey Morozov vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (Featherweight)
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan (Lightweight)
Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood (Women's Flyweight)
Khalil Rountree Jr vs. Marcin Prachino (Light Heavyweight)
Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas (Women's Strawweight)
Brad Tavares vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (Middleweight)
Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar (Lightweight)
Shane Burgos vs. Hakeem Dawodu (Featherweight)
Andrew Sanchez vs. Makhmud Muradov (Light Heavyweight)
Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena (Women's Featherweight)
