The UFC has been unable to host live events with ticket sales for majority of 2020. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, no sport has hosted fans in-person. Until now. The UFC was the first sport to return with events. And now they are the first to sell tickets to the public. Ticket distributor TicketMaster has verified that there will be only a limited number of tickets sold. The events will be for the upcoming UFC Fight Island events in Abu Dhabi. This including UFC events on Jan. 16, 20, and 24.
At this time, there has been no verification of events outside Abu Dhabi features fans. The promotion would need approval from State officials. The return of ticket sales is unlikely in majority of the world, prior to the vaccine rollout. The return to filled arenas is not expected until the vaccine has been administered to majority of the population.
The first event in 2021 to feature the return of fans on Jan. 16th is a Fight Night between former UFC featherweight Max Holloway and top contender Calvin Kattar. Co-headliners will be former UFC interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown. The next event featured is Jan. 20th with Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny. The final announced event with fight fan tickets is the much anticipated return of Conor McGregor. The former champ will face former interim lightweight champ, Dustin Poirier. All three events are expected to take place at the Ethihad Arena on Yas Island . The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism has cited the success of UFC events in 2020.