UFC 287 Pereira Vs. Adesanya 2: Preview And Where To Watch Info
Tonight, the UFC returns to Miami for the first time in two decades, with a monumental main event rematch between middleweight champion Alex Pereira (7-1) and former titleholder Israel Adesanya (23-2).
Under the bright lights of the recently renamed Kaseya Center (formerly FTX Arena), UFC 287 will feature 12 bouts prior to the 185-pound title match, including appearances from big names such as Kelvin Gastelum, Kevin Holland, Gilbert Burns, and of course Miami’s local hero Jorge Masvidal.
The headlining match between Pereira and Adesanya will mark the fourth time the pair have met in professional combat sports. The first two took place inside the kickboxing ring, with the both matches going the way of Pereira.
The third was back in November at UFC 281 inside Madison Square Garden, where Pereira shocked the world and pulled the fight out of the fire by stopping Adesanya in the fifth round with a series of nasty punches, avoiding the decision loss and earning the middleweight championship title.
Crowd angle of the main event finish.#UFC281 pic.twitter.com/7J6SOe8mii
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 13, 2022
Despite having lost to Pereira 3 times, many feel that Adesanya still stands a very real chance at reclaiming his title tonight in Miami, mainly due to the fact that he was surely winning on the judges scorecards ahead of getting caught by Pereira’s powerful strikes at UFC 281.
Additionally, Adesanya himself feels confident heading into this match, and suggests that some people have forgotten what he has accomplished in MMA, and is looking forward to rising to the occasion at UFC 287.
Preceding the headlining title match, Gilbert Burns (21-5) and Jorge Masvidal (35-16) will square off in the co-main event. With Burns coming in with momentum from a first round submission of Neil Magny in January, and Masvidal harnessing the motivation and positive energy from his hometown crowd, this highly anticipated match is sure to produce fireworks.
Gilbert Burns @GilbertDurinho vs Jorge Masvidal @GamebredFighter #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/gXySvHGk71
— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) April 7, 2023
Where and When:
UFC 287 fight day will get started with four early preliminary matches on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
Following, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, the preliminary card will get started on ESPN+ and will consist of four bouts.
Finally, the five fight PPV main card will get started at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, and is purchasable through ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card:
- Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya – Middleweight Title Match
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal – Welterweight
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez – Bantamweight
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio – Welterweight
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez – Bantamweight
Preliminary Card
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis – Middleweight
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Luana Pinheiro – Strawweight
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joseph Pyfer – Middleweight
- Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman – Heavyweight
Early Prelim Bouts
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez – Strawweight
- Trey Ogden vs. Ignacio Bahamondes – 160-pound Catchweight
- Steve Garcia vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke – Featherweight
- Sam Hughes vs. Jaqueline Amorim – Strawweight