Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will take their rivalry from the ring to the cage at Saturday's UFC 281, where the former aims to defend his middleweight crown. Check out our Adesanya-Pereira UFC picks ahead of the bill's main event.
Pereira got the better of Adesanya by KO and decision in their two kickboxing tilts in 2016 and 2017. After committing to MMA full-time just over a year ago, the Brazilian now looks to thwart Adesanya once more – this time in four-ounce gloves – in what will mark just his four th walk to the Octagon. Pereira kicked off his UFC stint by dispatching Andreas Michailidis and Bruno Silva before earning his shot at the middleweight throne with a stunning knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276 in July.
Fittingly enough, Adesanya's last outing came in the main event of that very same bill, where he defended his title for the fifth time with a lopsided decision over Jared Cannonier. The reigning middleweight champ now heads to Madison Square Garden with wins in all but one of his 13 UFC outings.
Here are my Adesanya-Pereira picks and predictions for Saturday's marquee matchup at UFC 281 (odds via Caesars Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).