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Update 11:25 p.m. ESPN+ is having issues for people across the world, and that is a big, big problem considering how many people have shelled out $69.99 for this fight. We could be looking at tens of millions of dollars lost here.
We are currently investigating streaming issues impacting some customers— our teams are actively working to have affected viewers back to streaming as soon as possible.
— ESPN+ Help (@ESPNPlusHelp) January 24, 2021
Update January 23rd 11:15 pm: With two fights still to come before McGregor and Poirier could even begin their walkouts, we might be looking at something closer to 12:40 a.m. ET before they touch gloves. Having only three stoppages during the first eight fights tends to slow things down a touch, especially when two of those stoppages are deep in the third round.
Oh, and there’s the fact plenty of people can’t even watch the main card they paid $69.99 for. This could be a big problem for ESPN.
UFC is back for its first PPV of the new year with UFC 257 getting underway Saturday evening at Fight Island in the United Arab Emirates. The early preliminary card gets underway at 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN+ followed by the preliminary card at 8 p.m..
The main card for the event is scheduled to get started at 10 p.m. and will be available for purchase through ESPN+ PPV. The main card is headlined by Conor McGregor fighting Dustin Poirier in a lightweight rematch of McGregor’s 2014 TKO win.
If you’re planning your evening strictly around The Notorious vs. The Diamond, the fight is estimated to get going at approximately midnight ET. The main card starts at 10 p.m., so it depends in part on how long the first four fights go and then how long ring entrances and all the pomp and circumstance is for the main event. But just after midnight on the east coast is probably a safe bet.
The main card is headlined by a lightweight double-dip. Along with McGregor-Poirier, No. 6 ranked Dan Hooker will face Michael Chandler. The rest of the main card include a flyweight bout between No. 6 ranked Jessica Eye and No. 7 ranked Joanne Calderwood, a middleweight bout between Andrew Sanchez and Makhmud Muradov, and a women’s strawweight bout between No. 8 ranked Marina Rodriguez and No. 10 ranked Amanda Ribas.