UFC 287 Main Event Breakdown

This Saturday night, MMA"s top promotion, the UFC, which has been in the news thanks to an acquisition this week, will also take its talents to South Beach like LeBron, though this is going to be far less controversial. Miami-Dade Arena, the home venue of the Miami Heat, plays host to UFC 287 and the UFC 287 main event. This is the promotion"s first visit to Miami in 20 years.

Live coverage of UFC 287 kicks off with the early prelims at 6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+. Late prelims will air on the main ESPN channel and ESPN+ at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT, followed at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT with the main card on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Middleweight Championship Rematch in UFC 287 Main Event

All told, Saturday"s card features a full 13-fight card, highlighted by a rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship between GLORY Kickboxing alumni. Incumbent champion Alex Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) puts his belt on the line when he squares off against challenger (and former GLORY Kickboxing Middleweight Champion) Israel Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC).

As with all UFC Championship fights, the UFC 287 main event will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show. Although this is the second time these two fighters have met in MMA, Saturday"s bout will be the fourth time they"ve fought one another across combat sports,

Pereira vs. Adesanya So Far

The all-time series between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya has been in the former"s favor. Between kickboxing and MMA, Alex Pereira has a 3-0 record versus Israel Adesanya. Most recently, these two men battled for the first time in the UFC last November.

That night, Pereira took Adesanya to the fifth and final round, where he scored a standing TKO due to punches to become the new champion at 185 lbs.

What does the future hold? Tune into the UFC 287 main event and find out.

UFC 287 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into the UFC 287 main event on Saturday night, both of these men stand level in height at 6-foot-4. Israel Adesanya establishes some separation in the reach advantage category, owning a one-inch reach advantage (80 inches to 79 inches) and a half-inch leg reach advantage (44 1/2 inches to 44 inches even) over Alex Pereira.

As it stands currently, the oddsmakers have challenger Israel Adesanya installed as a -140 favorite, with champion Alex Pereira countering as a +120 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Pereira Views Adesanya as Impetus For Joining UFC

Champion Alex Pereira has gone 4-1 in his last five UFC appearances. Ahead of his knockout win against Israel Adesanya last fall, he scored a first-round knockout due to a left hook against Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) on July 2 during UFC 276.

In a recent interview taped for UFC 287 Countdown, the champ talked about his inspiration for joining the UFC"s active roster in the fall of 2021. His reasoning might surprise you.

“When Israel Adesanya joined the UFC, I started taking a close look because I had an interest in fighting him in MMA," Pereira began. “There is a video of an interview with Israel Adesanya that motivated me so much. He watches all my fights, and every time I fight, like clockwork, he"d try to put out something like ‘I beat this guy." At the end of the day, no one knows who the (expletive deleted) he is, and he"s going to be that guy when I"m (the) world champion when I"m a legend, he"s going to be at some pub talking (censored) about ‘I beat that guy one time",

Pereira"s won all three of his bouts against Adesanya, but can he go 4-for-4 on Saturday night in the UFC 287 main event? Only time will tell.

Israel Adesanya Out For Revenge in UFC 287 Main Event

In the other corner, challenger Israel Adesanya has posted a record of 3-2 over the last five bouts. Before UFC 281, he defeated Jared Cannonier (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in UFC 276"s main event on July 2 of last year by unanimous decision.

Although the challenger has yet to defeat the champion, revenge will be on his mind this weekend. Recently, Adesanya made an appearance on TMZ Sports to talk about that very thing.

“I don"t get paid by the round," Adesanya said. “I just plan on dominating, and when I"m dominating, the finish comes. I"m not putting emphasis on the finish itself, but I plan on dominating from the start to the finish and staying dangerous every second of the fight."

As the old adage goes, “Revenge is a dish best-served cold." Israel Adesanya"s kitchen may be open for the main event this weekend.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the UFC 287 main event is another one of those toss-ups. Both Pereira and Adesanya are kickboxers by trade, but Pereira has black belts in both kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Watch For a Quick Finish From Pereira

Alex Pereira has made his nights at the office to be short on occasion, sometimes finishing the fight in under two rounds. Andreas Michalidis found this out the hard way during the former"s UFC promotional debut.

In the second round of a scheduled three in the featured prelim on ESPN, Pereira needed just 18 seconds to finish Michalidis. After bruising his opponent"s cheek in round one, Pereira opened up the round with a leg kick to the head.

Although Michalidis threw feints, they weren"t nearly enough to try and create offense for himself. Pereira sat Michalidis down with a flying knee and needed just a two-punch combination to close out the bout that night.

If Alex Pereira can score one flying knee in the UFC 287 main event, he"ll walk out of Miami having successfully retained the championship. Israel Adesanya is no slouch, however.

Israel Adesanya Can Finish the Job in a Hurry

In the other corner, Israel Adesanya has also been known to write a quick ending to the story. Back when he competed in the King of the Ring kickboxing tournaments, he advanced to an Oct. 31, 2015 semifinal bout versus Dan Roberts.

A short night"s work was on the agenda that evening. During the first round of the fight, Adesanya absorbed a few punches and was on the receiving end of a checked kick, but he scored with a massive leg kick.

Although Dan Roberts was able to catch a subsequent kick from Israel Adesanya, it would be the latter"s fight, as Adesanya wobbled Roberts with a left hook. From there, he landed another leg kick and put Roberts on the ring mat to stay with a vicious punch.

One strike is all it will take for Israel Adesanya to reclaim the championship on Saturday night.

Final Thoughts

Three chapters of the Adesanya/ Pereira rivalry have already been written. Even though Pereira"s clearly got the advantage over Adesanya, what will chapter four bring this Saturday?

Prediction: Israel Adesanya by Unanimous Decision.

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