On Saturday night, Alex Pereira will defend the title against Israel Adesanya in a matchup of longtime foes, putting the UFC middleweight title on the line. Pereira has defeated Adesanya twice in the kickboxing ring and won by fifth-round technical knockout to win the match and the belt at UFC 281.
Considering his past, Adesanya is expected to start the bout as the small favourite. Adesanya had the upper hand for almost the entire fight in their most recent encounter, but Pereira’s leg kicks eventually slowed Adesanya down, and a late flurry of punches put an end to “The Last Stylebender’s” tenure as champion.
Adesanya said during UFC 287 media day, “I’m down two fights in kickboxing, one fight in MMA, so I’m down three, and this is like in every movie – your one shot.” “This is my ‘8 Mile’ or Eminem moment. You only have one chance to make a good impression; this chance only comes around once in a lifetime. It’s over for me now.
According to Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman, “I’ve encouraged Israel to look back to his past a little bit and kind of take the shackles off himself psychologically and find some of the things he had in the past.” “I’m talking about his ability to make decisions, his ability to flow in a fight—things he used to have when he was younger, when things came a little more naturally. He has my request to locate that.
The fight between Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns serves as the co-main event of the evening. Both guys had previously challenged for the title but came up short against Kamaru Usman. Now that Usman has lost the title to Leon Edwards, a victory might put either fighter in a position to once again have a chance to win the title.
Masvidal stated during media day, “It goes without saying that me and Leon sell pay-per-views. “What happened there, Leon and Usman? That’s what I heard: “Those stats are so s—- they’re not even out.” They are both excellent fighters and tacticians, but they don’t always put themselves in harm’s way. Fans respond with “Eh, Alright.” You’re sort of playing it safe by keeping your distance or hugging someone while merely sniffing their nuts. The cost is too much for the audience.
“Someone who works in construction busts his ass every day of his life, and on Saturday, they want to forget about all of their troubles and become sidetracked. They don’t want to witness two men simply holding and gazing at one another. In other words, when you throw me into the mix, win or lose, I’m going to try to drag someone’s soul along with me and try to entertain the f—- out of you. The sole justification for my pay-per-view sales is that.
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Two bantamweight fights and a welterweight fight round out the undercard. Adrian Yanez, a rising contender, will face Rob Font, a tough veteran. While Font is coming off of two straight defeats to contenders, Yanez arrives on a five-fight winning streak. Veteran fighters Santiago Ponzinibbio and Kevin Holland are scheduled to square off at welterweight. Raul Rosas Jr., a young phenom, will face Christian Rodriguez to kick off the PPV event and is going for his second victory in the UFC.
Before we get to our staff choices and predictions for the PPV portion of the festivities, let’s take a closer look at the complete fight programme with the most recent odds from Caesars Sportsbook given all the events on Saturday night.
odds for the UFC 287 fight event from Caesars Sportsbook
Alex Pereira (c) +115 vs. Israel Adesanya (-135), middleweight title
Jorge Masvidal (+350) will face Gilbert Burns (-475), a welterweight.
Rob Font (+152) and Adrian Yanez, both bantamweights
Santiago Ponzinibbio (+210) will face Kevin Holland (-260), welterweights
Bantamweights Raul Rosas Jr. -260 vs. Christian Rodriguez +210
Middleweights Chris Curtis +105 vs. Kelvin Gastelum -125
Women’s strawweights: Luana Pinheiro -175 vs. Michelle Waterson +150
Middleweights Joe Pyfer (-200) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+170)
Women’s strawweights: Loopy Godinez -270 vs. Cynthia Calvillo +220
Nikolas Motta (+275) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (-350), lightweights
Steve Garcia (+15) will face Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (-180), a featherweight.
Women’s strawweights: Jaqueline Amorim -270 vs. Sam Hughes +220
The CBS Sports staff made predictions and picks for the main card in light of the significant main event that will be taking place. These are your selection makers: Michael Mormile (producer), Shakiel Mahjouri (writer), Brent Brookhouse (combat sports writer), Brian Campbell (combat sports journalist, co-host of “Morning Kombat”), and Brandon Wise (senior editor).
Adesanya vs. Pereira
Campbell : Even at the highest level of combat sports, there are instances when certain fighters just completely dominate certain opponents, regardless of the occasion or location. Pereira has now defeated Adesanya three times in a row in both kickboxing and MMA, despite having to rally late twice to secure stoppages. It might not matter how many of those combined rounds Adesanya actually won in that regard. Style-wise, Pereira just gives Adesanya hell, and Adesanya hasn’t been forced to pay for his own lack of grappling prowess due to their relative inexperience in MMA. Adesanya is Pereira’s constant opponent, and he will continue to try to make him uncomfortable or pay for any small mistakes while maintaining a mix between poise and patience. Given Pereira’s size in the division, some of the length advantages Adesanya occasionally possessed are no longer relevant. He also has the fortitude and toughness to withstand difficult situations and continue to be a threat late.
Adesanya acknowledged that Pereira’s calf kick strike during their previous encounter left a lasting impression on him. There is no reason to believe Pereira won’t try to compromise Adesanya’s movement by relying on that too early and frequently. The competition between the two is quite rare, with Pereira consistently having his hand raised since he has experienced the largest single moments despite Adesanya having been the “superior fighter” for a significant portion of their combined time. A warrior can simply know another man’s phone number. That seems to be the situation in this instance.
Mahjouri: This pair’s entire rivalry is peculiar. During the course of their three battles, Adesanya has regularly outperformed the other fighter, but he has struggled in both kickboxing and MMA. With the former UFC champion, Pereira has two come-from-behind knockout victories and one contentious decision.
Nonetheless, it would be extremely mistaken to attribute Pereira’s success to fortuitous punches or scorecards. Adesanya will be the first to acknowledge that Pereira’s dedication to leg kicks rendered Adesanya defenceless and compromised him. An apex predator with intelligence, Pereira. Although Pereira’s might makes a difference and he should not be denied his roses after finishing 3-0 in their combat series, Adesanya is the overall better martial artist.
Masvidal vs Burns
Campbell: Certainly, Masvidal has one more opportunity to challenge for the welterweight title in the three-round contest that will serve as Saturday’s co-main event given their history dating back to their 2019 London backstage brawl. Masvidal will have no trouble staying motivated, and his threat as a striker will never diminish. Yet if Burns demonstrated anything in his crushing defeat of Neil Magny in February, it was that Masvidal would find it difficult to handle with his continued devotion to grappling and his ability to inflict harm after taking his opponents to the ground. Burns has more opportunities to prevail in this contest since, at 36, he is still considerably closer to his peak prime.
Mahjouri: Burns is one of the welterweight division’s most well-rounded threats. In addition to his ever-improving boxing, he also possesses world-class jiu-jitsu abilities. Burns admitted to “Morning Kombat” that he had an unhealthy romantic attachment to his hands. Burns’ most recent fight, a submission victory over Neil Magny, revealed a lot of growth in him as he seeks to establish a new case for a title opportunity. He might be unbeatable if he can keep developing his offensive wrestling and striking defence. Masvidal is currently on his first losing run of his career and would have benefited from a less difficult opponent. Masvidal was overcome by Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, and I’m worried Burns is in the same league.
Yanez vs. Font
Campbell :Talk about excellent matchmaking in the division with the most quality and depth in the sport, Now riding a seven-fight winning streak that began three years before his official UFC debut, Yanez has recently displayed his impressive boxing prowess while appearing to be a future title challenger. Yet he hasn’t yet faced a UFC opponent of the same calibre as his rival. Despite being 35 years old and coming off a one-year break as well as a two-fight losing streak against the very best in Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera, Font is still incredibly motivated to keep his ranking, which was largely earned thanks to a strong four-fight winning streak against Sergio Pettis, Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes, and Cody Garbrandt. The battle of the night has already been predicted by Font, and if he can sustain his stunning jab, his experience advantage might be enough to temper Yanez’s meteoric climb.
Brookhouse: The matchmaking in this battle is quite clever. A little bit below the top level of the division, Font has made his mark in the UFC. This is a significant step up in competitiveness for Yanez. Yanez will eventually lose his durability, and his method of switching things up to land powerful counters will lead to his capture. A long-term formula for success does not involve taking about 5.5 strikes each minute while connecting on 6.5. For the time being, Yanez is able to do that, while Font lacks Yanez’s capacity for unaffected strike absorption. With his counters, Yanez ought to be able to complete the task at hand.
Mahjouri: Boxing fans who enjoy MMA are in for a wonderful treat. Two of the top strikers in the division are Font and Yanez. Yanez, who has received a performance bonus in each of his five UFC fights, is facing a significant step up in opposition. Font should compete against Yanez because of his wealth of experience at the top level, especially in the opening round. Font needs to stick and move because he is a more elusive striker. It could be a good idea for Font to incorporate some takedowns as well. Despite Font’s might, Vera dealt him a lot of harm. He made the right decision to take a lengthy sabbatical, much like his teammate Calvin Kattar did following the Max Holloway defeat. Yanez is a formidable opponent who approaches MMA striking with consideration. This battle might go any way, but I predict Yanez’s pressure and technique will prevail in two of the three rounds.
