"
});
The rivalry between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya is now over seven years old and has traveled to two combat sports. Each time, Pereira had walked away the winner. Now, Adesanya is ready for revenge at UFC 287 on April 8.
Pereira defends the UFC middleweight title against Adesanya, the former champion. UFC 287 takes place at the Miami-Dade Arena in Florida.
- Date: Saturday, April 8 | Sunday, April 9
- FIGHT PASS Prelims: 6 p.m. ET | 10 p.m. ET GMT | 9 a.m. AEDT
- Prelims: 8 p.m. ET | 12 a.m. GMT | 11 a.m. AEDT
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET | 2 a.m. GMT | 1 p.m. AEDT
- Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET | 4:15 a.m. GMT | 3:15 p.m. AEDT (approx.)
A GLORY kickboxing champion, Pereira turned pro in 2015. Losing his first fight, he has won seven in a row and is 4-0 in the UFC. At UFC 281 in New York, Pereira beat Adesanya via TKO for the UFC middleweight title.
Adesanya made his pro debut in 2012 and joined the UFC in 2018. In 2019, he beat Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC middleweight title, and Robert Whittaker a few months later to become champion. ”The Last Stylebender” defended the belt five times before losing it to Pereira.
MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 287 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+
The loss ended a 23-fight win streak in the division. Pereira became the second-least experienced UFC champion since Brock Lesnar.
Here is all the basic information you need to know to prepare for UFC 287.
Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya rivalry recap
Pereira then faced Adesanya at GLORY of Heroes 7 in 2017. In Pereira's hometown in Brazil, Adesanya was the aggressor to open things up. He had Pereira by the ropes in the second round, however, in the third, Pereira delivered a devastating shot to the chin that dropped Adesanya.
In their third fight, at UFC 281, Adesanya landed 86 significant strikes out of 209, and over six minutes of control time. Pereira landed 91 of 140 shots, but it wasn’t until the fifth round that he landed brutal shots that forced Adesanya by the cage. Unprotected blows reined in, and the referee had seen enough. Pereira took gold and a 3-0 lead over his foe.
MORE: Jon Jones is the undisputed G.O.A.T.
UFC 287 fight card, odds
- Israel Adesanya -155 vs. Alex Pereira (c) +130, middleweight championship
- Gilbert Burns -450 vs. Jorge Masvidal +350, welterweights
- Adrian Yanez -175 vs. Rob Font +145, bantamweights
- Kevin Holland -270 vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio+220, welterweights
- Raul Rosas Jr. -190 vs. Christian Rodriguez +160, bantamweights
- Chris Curtis -160 vs. Kelvin Gastelum +135, middleweights
- Michael Chiesa -165 vs. Li Jingliang +135, welterweights
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez +150 vs. Luana Pinheiro -175, women's strawweights
- Chase Sherman -260 vs. Chris Barnett +210, heavyweights
- Joe Pyfer -200 vs. Gerald Meerschaert +170, middleweights
- Loopy Godinez -340 vs. Cynthia Calvillo +270, women's strawweights
- Ignacio Bahamondes -250 vs. Nikolas Motta +205, lightweights
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke -240 vs. Steve Garcia +200, featherweights
- Jaqueline Amorim -270 vs. Sam Hughes +220, women's strawweights
UFC 287 info
- Date: April 8
- Location: Miami-Dade Arena -- Miami
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 287 takes place on April 8. The early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET | 10 p.m. ET GMT | 9 a.m. AEDT, followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. ET | 12 a.m. GMT | 11 a.m. AEDT. The UFC 287 main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET | 2 a.m. GMT | 1 p.m. AEDT.
Pereira and Adesanya should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET | 4:15 a.m. GMT | 3:15 p.m. AEDT, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
UFC 287 fight card
Main card
- Alex Pereira (c) vs. Israel Adesanya 2 for the UFC middleweight title
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal; Welterweights
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez; Bantamweights
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio; Welterweights
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez; Bantamweights
Prelims
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis; Middleweights
- Michael Chiesa vs. Li Jingliang; Welterweights
- Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro; Strawweights
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez; Strawweights
- Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman; Heavyweights
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer; Middleweights
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Nikolas Motta; Lightweights
