UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2 – Preview

In their second ever promotional visit, Miami will play host to UFC 287. The MMA leader’s return to Florida is stacked with a slue of high-stakes matchups. Topping the card is a middleweight title rematch that promises to be one of the biggest fights of the year. Defending champion Alex Pereira looks to extemd his lead in the series against rival Israel Adesanya, who wants to reclaim his belt and finally beat his Brazilian foe. In the co-main event, Miami’s own Jorge Masvidal will be searching for a perfect homecoming, but he will have to get through the ever-dangerous Gilbert Burns to do so.

Let’s take a closer look at the card!

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(c) Alex Pereira (7-1) vs (#1) Israel Adesanya (23-2) – UFC middleweight championship bout

The middleweight title will be on the line for next chapter of a heated rivalry between world class strikers.

It felt as if Alex Pereira’s entire MMA run was pointed toward Israel Adesanya. When the pair met for the third time in November, the Brazilian showed that he still had his rival’s number, claiming the title with a knockout in the final round. Before he can proceed with his title reign, however, he will have to put the nail in the coffin of this infamous series of bouts.

There’s no doubt that Pereira is one of the most accomplished and distinguished strikers to have ever entered the Octagon. The former two-weight GLORY champion made his name in the kickboxing world and has carried over those skills to the UFC. He has proved that he can stand toe-to-toe with Adesanya – a respected kickboxer in his own right – and showed to have a solid gameplan in their most recent outing, where he kept the Nigerian backed to the cage. It was there that he launched his nuclear left hook, which is almost guaranteed to leave any opponent twitching. ‘Poatan’ has all the skills to make it four-nil against Adesanya, but only time will tell.

Up until UFC 281, no man at 185lbs had ever beaten Israel Adesanya and it seemed that the pattern would continue. In a flash, the long-reigning champion had lost his title to the man who had haunted his combat sports career. Now, Adesanya has the chance to rewrite his wrongs and finally come out on top against Pereira.

Much like his adversary, Adesanya is heralded as one of the best strikers currently competing in MMA. His style, which blends a mix of feints and pinpoint kicks, was a puzzle that virtually no middleweight could solve. His finishes of Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, for example, show that he is always setting traps for his opponent to fall into. Even his most recent fight with Pereira featured a performance that had Adesanya in control, coming into the fifth round. Despite the results of their previous bouts, the oddsmakers still have the former champion favoured. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has shown that he is one of the best fighters of his generation, but he desperately needs this win.

ODDS: (c) Pereira (+130), Adesanya (-155)

(#5) Gilbert Burns (21-5) vs (#11) Jorge Masvidal (35-16) – welterweight bout

Title implications loom large over the high-profile welterweight pairing in the co-main event of UFC 287.

Losses to Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev are the only blemishes on the record of Gilbert Burns, as far as his welterweight fights go. He has become a staple of the top five in recent years, but he’s not content with that status; he wants another crack at the title. For that, the Brazilian knows that he will need to keep finishing his peers at welterweight. Burns has the skillset to do just that, possessing considerable power in both hands and being a multiple time grappling world champion. The bookies have ‘Durinho’ heavily favoured, having had more positive results than his opponent in the past few years.

Times have been tough for Jorge Masvidal. Once ranked as one of the world’s elite and riding the back of a sensational finishing streak, the Miami native is now faced with the potential of losing four straight fights. It is important to remember, however, that his last three losses have been to Colby Covington and the aforementioned Usman – two of the best at 170lbs. Masvidal is still a dangerous competitor that has punching power and underrated submission defense. There’s always the possibility that he can pull a finish out of the bag. ‘Gamebred’ could still slide back into title contention, but he needs to make a statement.

ODDS: Burns (-450), Masvidal (+350)

(#6) Rob Font (19-6) vs (#12) Adrian Yanez (16-3) – bantamweight bout

A pair of bantamweight strikers are sure to light up the arena in the feature bout.

Two losses in his most recent bouts have kept Rob Font out of the top five of his division, but there’s no doubting that he is still a highly skilled contender. The Bostonian always makes a good account of himself in his outings. He’s a talented boxer that mixes up his range well and keeps the opponent guessing. The odds have him as an underdog, but don’t sleep on Font.

Fans have been waiting to see the highly-touted Adrian Yanez take on his first ranked opponent for some time now. The Texan has made light work of the vast majority of the competition he has had to face, working himself up to the #12 spot at 135lbs. Similar to Font, the primary attacks from Yanez come in boxing form. His hands are lightning fast and deathly accurate.

ODDS: Font (+145), Yanez (-170)

Kevin Holland (23-9) vs Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-6) – welterweight bout

Welterweight action fighters meet in an electrifying tilt on the main card of UFC 287.

I speak for us all when I say that I’m delighted to see Kevin Holland back on pay-per-view. He’s guaranteed entertainment is absolutely every fight that he’s in. He came up short in most recent bout with ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, so he wants to bounce back in style. The Texas native utilises a traditional Kung Fu style on the feet, but has also shown an increased willingness to go for submissions. ‘Trailblazer’ is one of the most fun fighters to watch in the current era of MMA; don’t miss this one.

Though his perceived potential as a title contender has dropped since his 2021, Santiago Ponzinibbio remains to be a consistently entertaining performer at welterweight. A win over a fan-favourite like Holland could earn him a chance at regaining the top fifteen spot that he once held. Even in fights that he might be down in, ‘Argentine Dagger’ has the ultimate equaliser of knockout power, as was shown in his last fight with Alex Morono. That’s without mentioning brutal wins over the likes of Neil Magny and Gunnar Nelson. With power like Ponzinibbio’s, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him upset the odds.

ODDS: Holland (-270), Ponzinibbio (+220)

Raul Rosas Jr. (7-0) vs Christian Rodriguez (9-1) – bantamweight bout

The UFC’s youngest winner makes his return to the cage against a fellow hungry prospect in the main card opener.

The crowd pop for Raul Rosas Jr. upon his ring walk in his UFC debut showed that the fans are resonating with the young Mexican star. At only 17 years old, he earned a contract on DWCS and followed it up with a submission win against Jay Perrin in December. Rosas has displayed a highly creative striking style, but the main threat from him comes on the mat. As expected, ‘El Niño Problema’ is favoured to get the win. Getting an empathic win in his pay-per-view debut could catapult Rosas into a major fight later this year.

Aside from a loss at 145lbs to Jonathan Pearse, the pro career of Christian Rodriguez has been virtually perfect. The Wisconsin fighter has racked up wins across the UFC, DWCS, Bellator and LFA in his short career. Now, he has a chance to cash in on the hype of his opponent. Shown by the anaconda choke he synched up to win his last fight, Rodriguez has a nasty submission game that could pose problems for Rosas. ‘C-Rod’ could prove to be too much too soon.

ODDS: Rosas (-190), Rodriguez (+160)

(#14) Chris Curtis (30-9) vs (#15) Kelvin Gastelum (17-8) – middleweight bout

A matchup of top fifteen middleweights will close out the prelims of UFC 286.

Veteran Chris Curtis had his win streak snapped in July of last year, but rebounded with a thunderous KO of Joaquin Buckley in December. Now, the Ohio-born contender will look to claim a second straight win and earn a second crack at a top ten spot. Curtis has the punching power to level any man that stands across from him, evidenced by wins over the likes of Brendan Allen and Phil Hawes. When he’s in form, ‘Action-Man’ is always worth a watch.

Results have been mixed for Kelvin Gastelum in the past number of years, but there’s no denying that he’s been facing the best of the best. The TUF 15 winner has fought Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, Jack Hermansson and Darren Till in just the last four years – that’s a resume to be proud of. Gastelum prefers to keep his fights standing, where his quick hands and precision allow him to light opponents up with punches. His chances in this fight are going under the radar; don’t be surprised if he pulls out the win.

ODDS: Curtis (-160), Gastelum (+135)

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Who do you have picked to win? Which of these will steal the Fight of the Night bonus? Let us know in the comments!