The card took place in front of no fans at the UFC Apex, a facility across the street from the UFC's corporate campus. It marked the fifth straight weekend that the UFC ran an event in Las Vegas and the eighth card the promotion has held since its return from a coronavirus-pandemic-related hiatus on May 9.
Poirier vs. Hooker had major UFC lightweight division implications. ESPN had Poirier ranked No. 4 and Hooker ranked No. 5 among MMA 155-pound fighters.