Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya 2 at UFC 287

ALEX PEREIRA VS ISRAEL ADESANYA FACTS

When is UFC 287? Saturday 9 April, 2023 - 01:00 (UK)

Where is UFC 287? Miami-Dade Arena, Miami, Florida (US)

Where can I get tickets for UFC 287?

What channel is UFC 287 on? BT Sport 1

Where can I stream UFC 287? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website

ALEX PEREIRA VS ISRAEL ADESANYA LOWDOWN

Alex Pereira (7-1) became a champion in just his fourth UFC appearance back in November. However, the most impressive part was the fact he dethroned a man who had never lost a middleweight MMA fight and who had title five defences to his name. He knocked out the middleweight King in the fifth round to notch his third UFC knockout and is now hoping to defend the belt with a fifth.

Israel Adesanya (23-2) finally lost his belt against his old foe. He deserves a lot of credit for staying so active and motivated since he became the champion. However, motivation was easy to come by having lost to Pereira twice in the kickboxing scene )2016 and 2017). Now, he has never been so motivated seeking vengeance for the second time with everything on the line.

ALEX PEREIRA VS ISRAEL ADESANYA PREDICTION

With three combat wins over Adesanya you would think Pereira has his number. However, it is not that simple. He arguably should have been on the right side of the kickboxing decision and was on his way to claiming his fourth unanimous decision in a row. However, the power that everyone knew about, eventually found a home with three minutes to go in the fight.

Adesanya’s technique and intelligence won three rounds and Pereira’s power won the fight. What was surprising was that both of them decided to grapple and we could easily see more in this fight.

They both know exactly what each other are capable of on the feet and they both have enough confidence in their grappling to shoot in for takedowns. So, expect to see Adesanya to display his cerebral striking controlling the distance and sniping from range with his kicks and jab while Pereira works on set ups for his power hooks and knees. Then, we may see level-changes with both men keeping a takedown attempt in their locker.

Pereira has the power and weight advantage which will aid him in finding another knockout or control him on the ground. However, Adesanya has the technique and skill to find a knockout himself and better jiu-jitsu to help him if he does land on his back.

This will no doubt be a super competitive battle with elite striking and mediocre grappling. Pereira is the underdog so there is obvious value on him, but we are backing Adesanya with a new fire in his belly.

Prediction: Adesanya via Decision -

Value bet: Pereira via KO/TKO or Decision