Israel Adesanya will look to reclaim his UFC middleweight title when he takes on Alex Pereira in a rematch of epic proportions at UFC 287 in Miami on Sunday morning. Pereira (7-1) defeated “The Last Stylebender” (23-2) via fifth-round TKO when the pair faced off in a championship clash at UFC 281 in New York late last year. Can Adesanya end his hoodoo against Periera and reclaim his throne as the king of the middleweights?
The defeat in 2022 was the third time the Brazilian had defeated Adesanya after he had beaten him twice in their kickboxing days. The loss against Periera was also Adesanya’s first in the UFC middleweight division, with his only UFC loss before that coming in the hands of then light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in Adesanya’s bid for double champ status.
Does this rematch come too soon for Adesanya? Has he had enough time to make the necessary adjustments for this rematch? These are all answers that will be answered at the Miami-Dade Arena on Sunday morning.
Another mouthwatering clash at UFC 287 is a welterweight co-main event which sees Gilbert Burns (21-5) take on Jorge Masvidal (35-16), with the former looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat.
UFC 287 Main card
Main event: Middleweight championship: Alex Pereira (2.15) v Israel Adesanya (1.74)
Welterweight: Gilbert Burns (1.21) v Jorge Masvidal (4.80)
Bantamweight: Rob Font (2.55) v Adrian Yanez (1.55)
Welterweight: Kevin Holland (1.40) v Santiago Ponzinibbio (3.10)
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr (1.43) v Christian Rodriguez (2.95)
SIGN UP TO OUR BET CENTRAL PLAYBOOK
Get weekly emails packed with the best tips and sports content.
Get ahead of the game now - fill in the contact form below.
