UFC 257 fight card: All the fights announced apart from Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier

(This list will be updated as and when new fights get added to the event)

As we head into the final pay-per-view of 2020 with UFC 256, let's take a sneak-peek into the first PPV of 2021 - UFC 257.

UFC 257 is set to take place at the Yas Islands in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and the PPV marks the return of the most popular fighter in the promotion's history, Conor McGregor.

McGregor makes his much-awaited return in the main event of UFC 257 in a rematch against Dustin Poirier. The pair fought previously in a featherweight clash at UFC 178 where McGregor won by first-round TKO.

The fight will have massive implications in the title picture at lightweight division with the winner expected to fight for the 155lbs strap next.

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding UFC 257 as Dana White has previously stated that he's going to try and bring in fans for the event. White also spoke about resurrecting the International Fight Week in January with the PPV. We already know that McGregor and Poirier are set to face off in the main event, so let's take a look at the other fights that have been announced for the card.

Announced matchups for UFC 257

Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin Umar is set to make his promotional debut at UFC 257 in a bantamweight encounter against fellow debutant Sergey Morozov. The pair was initially set to clash at UFC 254 but since Umar pulled out due to illness, the fight was rescheduled for UFC 257.

Interestingly, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be present to corner his cousin on the night and may even come face to face with his arch-rival Conor McGregor on the night.

An explosive flyweight encounter between Amir Albazi and Zhalgas Zhumagulov will also take place at UFC 257. The pair were initially set to fight at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Clark, but Zhumagulov was forced to pull out due to visa issues which led to the fight being rescheduled for the January PPV.

A women's flyweight bout between top-10 flyweight contenders Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood has been booked for UFC 257.

A women's strawweight bout between surging contenders Amanda Ribas and Marina Rodriguez is also in the works for UFC 257. Ribas was initially supposed to fight Waterson but the latter later pulled out and Rodriguez agreed to replace her.

Antonio Carlos Junior is set to face Brad Tavares in an exciting middleweight encounter at UFC 257. Andre Muniz will be looking to extend his unbeaten streak inside the octagon when he takes on Andrew Sanchez in another middleweight scrap on January 23, according to Combate.

Most recently, a featherweight encounter between Hakeem Dawodu and Shane Burgos has also been confirmed for the UFC 257 fight card.

TSN has confirmed that 🇨🇦Hakeem Dawodu will face Shane Burgos at UFC 257 on January 23. Location TBD.First reported as being in the works by the fine folks at @mmaempirecanada

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 4, 2020

Other announced fights on the card include a pair of lightweight bouts between Nasrat Haqparast and Arman Tsarukyan; and Ottman Azaitar and Matt Frevola.

Here is the updated list of the all the fights on the UFC 257 fight card:

Lightweight bout: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier

Women's Flyweight bout: Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood

Middleweight bout: Brad Tavares vs. Antônio Carlos Júnior

Middleweight bout: Andrew Sanchez vs. Andre Muniz

Lightweight bout: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Lightweight bout: Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola

Bantamweight bout: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Sergey Morozov

Featherweight bout: Shane Burgos vs. Hakeem Dawodu

Flyweight bout: Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov

Women's Strawweight bout: Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez

Light heavyweight bout: Khalil Rountree vs. Marcin Prachnio