Once again the UFC has put together an incredible PPV card, this time from Miami, Florida. In the UFC 287 Main Event, Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his title for the first time against the man he took it from last November former Champion Israel Adesanya. Pereira and Adesanya are former Kickboxing rivals who took the MMA world by storm. Adesanya lost twice to Pereira in Kickboxing then became the longstanding UFC Middleweight champion, only to be dethroned by Pereira in his fourth UFC fight. In the Co-Main Event, former Welterweight title challengers collide when Gilbert Burns faces Jorge Masvidal. Burns is a Jiu-Jitsu world champion who recently submitted Neil Magny in the first round. Masvidal is one of the most popular fighters in the promotion but has been sidelined since last year due to legal issues.
Bantamweight Contenders Rob Font and Adrian Yanez meet on the Main Card in a very important fight for each of their careers. Font has won four of his last six fights and will need to fend off the surging Yanez to stay in title contention. Yanez has yet to taste defeat in the UFC going (5-0) with four wins by knockout. Also on the UFC 287 Main Card, an exciting matchup between welterweight fan favorites Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbo should entertain those in attendance at the Miami-Dade Arena.
(C) Alex Pereira (7-1) vs #1 Israel Adesanya (23-2)
In the UFC 287 Headliner dangerous Brazillian striker and current Middleweight Champion Alex Periera faces familiar foe and combat sports rival Israel Adesanya. Adesanya is the former Middleweight champion who started his career (12-0) in the 185-pound division. Before Adesanya’s first fight with Pereira, he was widely regarded as one of the greatest Middleweights in the sport’s history, having defended the title five times. Adesanya’s resume includes impressive wins over former champion Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, and Anderson Silva. Pereira is a former two-weight world champion in the sport of kickboxing who has unbelievable one-punch knockout power. In their two kickboxing matches Pereira defeated Adesanya once by decision and once by knockout in the final round. Since transitioning to MMA, Pereira became UFC champion in record time. In the history of the UFC, only Anderson Silva and Brock Lesner have become world champions quicker than Pereira.
In their first MMA fight last November, Adesanya controlled the action for the majority of the fight until Pereira did the unthinkable and finished him in the fifth round. Veteran referee Marc Goddard called a stop to the fight saving Adesanya from further damage. Even though Adesanya is (0-3) in his combat sports career against Pereira he will enter this contest as a slight betting favorite (-140) at online sportsbooks. Adesanya will have an advantage in speed over Periera and will need to fight successfully at distance in this fight if he wants to reclaim his title. Periera has a power advantage over every Middleweight in the sport and trains with former Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Texiera in Connecticut. Adesanya trains at City Kickboxing in New Zeland under Head Coach Eugene Bareman. Here Adesanya is teammates with UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and perennial contender Dan Hooker.
Prediction
This is one of the most anticipated title fight rematches in MMA history. Both are tremendous strikers who are familiar with each other on their feet. The winner of this fight could very easily be the one who expands his skill set and finds success in grappling. In the first fight, Adesanya briefly took Pereira down but was unable to threaten a submission. His continued training with ground specialist Glover Texiera will only help Pereira become confident on the floor. It would be hard to pick against Pereira in this fight as he seems to have the former champion’s number. An interesting prop bet at online sportsbooks right now is Pereira to win by decision (+500). Pereira has already defeated Adesanya once by decision in the sport of kickboxing.
This is a win-at-all-cost situation for Adesanya, who will not receive another title opportunity for an extended period of time with a loss on Saturday. MMA fans around the world will not want to miss this historic Main Event as two world-class strikers battle for divisional supremacy in a career-defining moment for each.
#5 Gilbert Burns (21-5) vs #11 Jorge Masvidal (35-16)
A matchup of ranked Welterweights is set for the UFC 287 Co-Main event when Jiu-Jitsu ace Gilbert Burns takes on the always-dangerous Jorge Masvidal. Burns is 3-2 in his last five fights with his only losses coming to former champion Kamaru Usman and Russian phenom Khamzat Chimaev. Having struggled recently against the division’s elite, Masvidal has gone (0-3) in his last four fights. Masvidal dropped two contests to Usman and lost by decision to Colby Covington in March of last year. Masvidal is one of the most experienced fighters on the UFC’s roster, who is entering his 52nd professional fight. Burns is coming into this contest as a (-475) favorite at online sportsbooks.
Masvidal should have an advantage on the feet, where he is a creative and devastating striker. Holding 19 knockouts on his resume, Masvidal may need to stop Burns to win Saturday. Burns has only been finished twice in his career and has a dominant ground game that will present problems for Masvidal stylistically. While talking to the media during fight week Masvial stated that if he losses this weekend he may retire. This is a very interesting statement that raised alarms with many MMA experts. If Masvidal truly does have one foot out the door a matchup with Burns will be a serious problem. A victory this weekend would be monumental for both fighters, with recently crowned Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards needing new challengers in the 170-pound division.
#6 Rob Font (19-6) vs #12 Adrian Yanez (16-3)
A battle of Bantamweight contenders is set for this weekend when New England’s Rob Font takes on surging prospect Adrian Yanez. Font will look to rebound after dropping back-to-back fights against Marlon Vera and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo. Yanez has impressed in his short time with the promotion going (5-0) with four stoppage victories. Yanez was originally signed from the Dana White Contender Series and has fantastic boxing skills. Font is a striker who fights well at distance using volume and pressure to overwhelm opponents.
Font trains with the New England Cartel out of Haverhill, Massachusetts where he spars with fellow UFC contender Calvin Kattar. Yanez fights out of Houston, Texas, and helps train numerous mixed martial artists at the Metro Fight Club. Yanez recently defeated Tony Kelley by knockout in an impressive performance last June. This is going to be a highly competitive back-and-forth fight. Yanez has massive potential but is yet to face the level of competition that Font has. Font holds impressive victories over Bellator Bantamweight Champion Sergio Pettis, Former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt and MMA veteran Marlon Moraes.
Kevin Holland (23-9) vs Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-6)
The Main Card starts with a potentially exciting matchup between fan favorite Welterweights Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Holland is extremely tall for the 170-pound division (6-foot-3) and uses his range well on the feet. Holland is also a blackbelt in Jiu-Jitsu under Travis Lutter and has a sneaky ground game. “The Argentine Dagger” Ponzinibbio is known for his aggressive and brawling style. Ponzinibbio was on a seven-fight win streak in 2018 before a gruesome staff infection in his leg almost ended his career. After nearly three years away from the sport Ponzinibbio made his return in 2021 and has gone 2-3 since coming back.
On the feet, Holland will have to pick his shots and be extremely cautious with Ponzinibbio who can be overly aggressive at times. Holland should have an advantage on the ground and may look to submit his Ponzinibbio if given the opportunity. Currently, Holland is trending as a (-260) favorite at online sportsbooks.
UFC 287 Prelims:
UFC 287 will feature a stacked preliminary card starting at 5 p.m. CST. An intriguing contest between Middleweight Contenders is worth tuning in for early. Former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum (17-8) will fight Extreme Couture product Chris Curtis (30-9) in the prelim headliner. Gastelum is a former collegiate wrestler who has one-punch knockout power in his left hand. Curtis is a veteran of the sport who has competed in high-level organizations around the world like PFL and Ikon Fighting Federation. Since joining the UFC Curtis has gone 4-1 with impressive victories over Jiu-Jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira and Joaquin Buckley.
Also on the UFC 287 prelims, Gerald Meerschaert welcomes Dana White Contender Series Alum Joe Pyfer to the PPV stage. Pyfer impressed UFC president Dana White with his second-round knockout over Ozzy Diaz. Pyfer will be thrown into the fire early in his career, as he faces the always-game Meerschaert. Meerschaert is a UFC veteran who will fight anyone the promotion puts in front of him going 4-1 in his last five fights.
The UFC 287 Main Card will start at 9 p.m. CST and can be seen on ESPN+.
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