event, a middleweight bout between Phil Hawes and Nassourdine Imavov was scrapped due to undisclosed reasons. After defending his UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 254 in October, Khabib Nurmagomedov immediately announced his retirement, citing his father's death from complications related to COVID-19 in last July as the main reason behind it. Despite his announcement, the title was never officially vacated as UFC President Dana White said several times that he believed Nurmagomedov would still fight again. A meeting between both of them to discuss the champion's future was then expected to happen this week during the organization's stint at Fight Island, eventually taking place on January 15. The following day, White made an appearance live on ABC during the main card of this event and revealed the outcome of the meeting: the Russian left the door open to a potential return, depending on how the main and co-main event lightweights perform at UFC 257, while also praising Charles Oliveira's performance at UFC 256. Results Bonus awards The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. Fight of the Night: Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar Performance of the Night: Li Jingliang and Alessio Di Chirico See also List of UFC events List of current UFC fighters 2021 in UFC References UFC on ABC 2021 in mixed martial arts January 2021 sports events in Asia 2021 in Emirati sport Mixed martial arts in the United Arab Emirates Sports competitions in Abu Dhabi