UFC 287 midweek odds: Israel Adesanya favored to get belt back from Alex Pereira
UFC 287 will be blasting off this Saturday (April 8th) from Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida with the promotion’s middleweight title swaying in the balance in the main event. Before we get there, though, let’s go and see what the betting lines are doing before the weigh-ins.
The odds:
The oddsmakers are picking Israel Adesanya to defeat the UFC’s 185-pound champ, Alex Pereira, to regain his title in the main event. Izzy is being offered up with a small favored line of -135, with a $100 gamble at those odds possibly seeing a complete payout of -135. That leaves the champ in the underdog slot, and Pereira can be acquired with a tiny underdog value of +115. Putting a hundred bucks on Alex could enjoy a total return of $215 if Pereira wins yet again.
Odds in their first MMA match:
In their initial MMA meeting at UFC 281, Adesanya came into it as the champion and a sizable betting favorite with a moneyline of -205. Pereira entered into the match as a +175 underdog. Realistically, all Izzy had to do was survive the last round and he would have retained his belt… but he didn’t.
Should Izzy be favored despite three losses to Pereira?
I’m actually a little surprised to see Israel as the betting favorite. That’s two kickboxing wins, and one MMA win that Pereira already holds over Adesanya. Two of the three were by knockout. So we’ve never actually seen Izzy beat Pereira, despite him coming awfully close, he has never quite been able to seal the deal. It seems like Adesanya needs to be perfect for 25-minutes, while the much more powerful Pereira does not.
UFC 287 fight card:
Main card:
- Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya: Middleweight Title
- 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
Prelims:
- 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
- Lupita Godinez vs. Cynthia Calvillo: Strawweight
- Trey Ogden vs. Ignacio Bahamondes: 160-pounds
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia: Featherweight
- Sam Hughes vs. Jaqueline Amorim: Strawweight
*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.
Eddie Mercado is a writer and content creator for Bloody Elbow, and has covered combat sports since 2015. Eddie covers everything from betting odds and live events, to fighter interviews and co-hosting the 6th Round post-fight show and the 6th Round Retro. He retired at 1-0 in professional MMA, competed in one Muay Thai match in Thailand, and is currently a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu under the great Diego Bispo.
