UFC 287 is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 8 at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida. The main event is a rematch for the UFC middleweight title between champion Alex Pereira and former champion Israel Adesanya. On the co-feature is a grudge match in the welterweight division between top-five ranked Gilbert Burns and hometown favorite Jorge Masvidal.
Masvidal (35-16) has not won a fight since beating Nate Diaz for the fictional “BMF” title back in November 2019, but that hasn't stopped “Gamebred” from getting big fights thanks to his popularity. He got back-to-back fights with Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 251 in July 2020 and at UFC 261 in April 2021. Masvidal lost both fights, the first by a lopsided unanimous decision and the second by a decisive knockout in the second round.
From there Masvidal dropped down from contender to gatekeeper status. His next fight was on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272 against friend-turned-bitter rival Colby Covington. While Masvidal promised a lot of violence it was Covington's relentless pressure and wrestling that dominated the five rounds of action and he won with an easy unanimous decision.
Masvidal comes into Saturday as a major +380 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. Four consecutive losses would likely mean the end of the line for the 38-year-old as an attraction in the UFC.