According to UFC president Dana White, he has a “surprise” for fight fans who choose to illegally stream and download events. On January 23, the UFC will put on its first pay-per-view of 2021. UFC 257 is headlined by a rematch between No. 2 ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier and No. 4 ranked Conor McGregor and the event will stream on ESPN+.
Last week, it was revealed that the price of a UFC pay-per-view will increase from $64.99 to $69.99 starting with UFC 257. And as usual, some fans will try to find a way around having to pay to watch.
On Monday, White shared a promotional hype video on social media for Poirier vs. McGregor 2 which prompted thousands of fans to engage with the post, commenting and liking. The video can be seen below:
Among the comments on Instagram, one user said that they will try to pirate UFC 257, which prompted a response from the UFC president.
“Cant wait to pirate the f*** out of this thanks Dana im excited,” the fight fan wrote.
White replied, “And I can’t wait to catch u!!! Gotta surprise for u mother f*****s this year.”
See a screenshot of the comments below via the @SpinninBackfist Twitter account:
Uncle Dana has a surprise planned
(ht: u/smoke_my_way_out)
The UFC has battled illegal streaming and pirating for years and it’s unclear what the “surprise” is that White is referring to.
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Poirier vs. McGregor 2 Is a Rematch Years in the Making
In September 2014, McGregor and Poirier met in the Octagon at UFC 174. The buildup to the fight was volatile as “Notorious” ripped Poirier with constant trash talk, calling Poirier “pea head” and discounting the fighter’s ability to take a punch.
McGregor needed less than two minutes to finish “The Diamond” in their featherweight clash, defeating Poirier by TKO. Since then, both fighters have found massive success in the UFC, with McGregor winning both the lightweight and featherweight titles and Poirier winning the interim lightweight belt.
Notorious has fought eight times in the UFC since defeating Poirier, going 6-2. The Diamond has competed 13 times in the Octagon, holding a record of 10-2 and one no contest
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Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chander Is Set for UFC 257
Another massive lightweight bout has been set for January 23 as No. 6 ranked lightweight Dan hooker will fight multiple-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler. UFC 257 will mark Chandler’s first match in the UFC since signing to the promotion in September 2020.
Chandler (21-5), who remains unranked as a UFC lightweight, has a tough task ahead of him for his debut. Hooker (20-9) is 7-2 in the division and is coming off an epic bout against No. 2 ranked Dustin Poirier in which he lost via unanimous decision.
A win for either man will firmly place them near the top of the division and one step closer to obtaining UFC gold.
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Dana White’s Threat to Fan: ‘Can’t Wait to Catch You’