UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya II ??provides an eerily similar scenario to the title trilogy fight we just saw between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. A familiar underdog knocked off a dominant champ, then grants the immediate rematch. Leon Edwards delivered in London, but will Pereira manage to fend off Adesanya’s shot a redemption?
This weekend’s card features thirteen scheduled bouts with ‘early’ prelim action starting at 3 p.m. PT, prelims at 5 p.m. PT, followed at 7 p.m. with the PPV offering.
The last few fight cards have produced better results for underdog bettors as after the first quarter of the year, favorites are 72-39-9 63.7%, which is down from last year but about where the rate has averaged the last several years.
Last year, in bouts over 155 pounds, finish rates were 57.5%, while in competitions 145 pounds and lower, finish rates were just 44.4%. So, from this perspective, there seems to be a reason this card is populated with larger, experienced, adroit combatants, each of whom has motivations to elevate their career by the performance Saturday night.
Alex Pereira +110 vs. Israel Adesanya -130
Middleweight (185 pounds) Championship | Main Event
Finocchiaro: As far as MMA is concerned, this is the second fight for these two in just five short months. Pereira, now in control of the belt, is massive for the weight class and does amazing work to make weight and then rehydrate to 215 pounds for the battle itself.
A decorated, world-class kickboxer with a black belt in BJJ under the tutelage of Glover Teixeira, Pereira sits atop the middleweight mountain. He defends immediately against a kickboxing Muay Thai original in Adesanya who was pointing him up last November before Pereira, in a frantic fifth, found Adesanya with power strikes and clubbed him until the bout was rightfully stopped.
Adesanya likes to control space, strike in flurries and present a difficult target for opponents to flush. He’s complimented with a purple belt in BJJ and a degree of wrestling that may be an element of this bout.
This fight is a monumental moment in Adesanya’s legacy, as it’s going to take his absolute best performance to defeat Pereira. But win this bout, and all the titles that mean so little become his…. ‘pound for pound’ and ‘all-time this and that.’
From the end of that last bout until now, Adesanya’s handled himself with exemplary professionalism and focus. That said, these stakes are high for where shall he wander should he lose again? Is he returning too quickly after such a physical/emotional loss? These are legitimate concerns.
What will and can he change for this battle in but a few months, and how can Pereira present himself any differently for this bout? We do have almost a full five rounds of competition between the two, which is more than we often have for fights of this magnitude. Though both kickboxers, one man is gifted with speed, finesse and precision while the other delivers aggressive forward pressure striking which results in blunt force trauma.