Kiwi lightweight Dan Hooker has established a deserved reputation for crowd-pleasing bouts, so it seems only fair that 'The Hangman' will be one of the first fighters to welcome them back into the UFC.
On Saturday, the promotion announced that a "limited number of spectators" will be permitted to attend its trio of events in Abu Dhabi later this month.
That includes UFC 257 on January 24, in which Hooker will square off with marquee signing Michael Chandler as the co-main event to Conor McGregor's headline bout against Dustin Poirier.
It will be the first time fans have been permitted to attend a UFC event since March 2020, when Hooker's teammate Israel Adesanya defended his middleweight title against Yoel Romero.
The pay-per-view rounds out a 'Tripler header' week of events to be held at the Etihad Arena rather than the makeshift Flash Forum, where the UFC hosted all of its 'Fight Island' cards last year.
No information was given as to how limited attendance will be at the Etihad Arena, which has a maximum capacity of over 18,000.
It is also not clear when - or if - tickets will be available to the public, or if seating will be selective.
"The triple header will see three mega-fights, utilizing Abu Dhabi’s proven ‘safe zone’ concept to protect the health and safety of all delegates, spectators, crew and media," the Abu Dhabi media office says in a tweet.
UFC president Dana White had been adamant fans wouldn't be permitted to return until restrictions were completely lifted, but seems to have softened his stance in recent months.
White has also previously ruled out the possiblity of travelling to New Zealand to hold an event with a full crowd due to the logistics involved with quarantining.
