Adesanya out to end Pereira jinx
Israel Adesanya will look to reclaim the middleweight world championship when he faces Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 287, set for the Miami-Dade Arena on the morning of Sunday 9 April 2023.
Pereira (7-1) defeated Adesanya (23-2) via a fifth-round TKO when the pair faced off in a championship clash at UFC 281 in New York in November last year. The result not only handed Adesanya a first professional MMA defeat at middleweight (his only other loss was against Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight title bid), but also saw Pereira continue his dominance over the Nigerian-New Zealander, having claimed two kick-boxing wins over him in 2016 and 2017.
‘The Last Stylebender’ says he is more determined to finally get one over his Brazilian nemesis than to win back the title: “I’ve never not been motivated to fight this guy, but for this one, I’ve put the pressure on myself,” explained the 33-year-old.
“Like, f*** the belt, f*** everything else. I have to beat this guy, so that’s my motivation, just beating him. Like I said, they can say whatever they want, it’s 1-0 or 3-0. I don’t keep score, I settle them and I just need one and I’m going to get it done.”
Pereira, meanwhile, has intimated that he would be keen on following in Adesanya’s footsteps and having a crack at the light heavyweight title, having recently taken aim at Jamahal Hill, who won that division’s title with a triumph over the legendary Glover Teixeira (one of Pereira’s mentors).
Another major clash at UFC 287 is a welterweight co-main event which sees Gilbert Burns (21-5) take on Jorge Masvidal (35-16), with the former hoping to secure a victory which will take him closer to another title shot (having been beaten by Kamaru Usman in a battle for the belt in February 2021).
“I don’t think it’s gonna be easy,” Burns explained. “I think it’s gonna be bloody. I think you’re gonna get to a point that we’re gonna bang, you’re going to a war, and let’s see a finish. You know, maybe second, maybe late third round. But I’m looking forward to a finish.
“And then whatever it takes. It could be a jiu-jitsu, it could be submission, could be a knockout, it could be a TKO or whatever it is. I’m looking forward to finishing Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287.”
The rest of the main card features Rob Font v Adrian Yanez in the bantamweight division; a welterweight showdown between Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio; and a bantamweight opener between Raul Rosas Jr and Christian Rodriguez.
UFC 287 – Main card
- Main event: Middleweight championship: Alex Pereira v Israel Adesanya
- Welterweight: Gilbert Burns v Jorge Masvidal
- Bantamweight: Rob Font v Adrian Yanez
- Welterweight: Kevin Holland v Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr v Christian Rodriguez
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