UFC287: Isreal Adesanya Vs Alex Pereira Rematch Dated Fixed

UFC: Israel Adesanya Vs Alex Pereira

A rematch between middleweight champion Alex Pereira and rival Israel Adesanya has been set for UFC 287 on April 8, the UFC announced Friday with yet to be disclosed location.

Here’s what you need to know: 

Pereira defeated Adesanya for the belt on Nov. 12 2022, ending Adesanya’s three-year title reign with a fifth-round knockout. 

The pair’s rivalry extends back to their days as kickboxers, where Pereira defeated Adesanya twice. Since jumping to mixed martial arts, Adesanya is 23-2 and strung together five title defenses before November’s loss. 

The UFC also announced that welterweights Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns will fight in the card’s co-main event. The ever-popular Masvidal has lost three straight fights, while Burns is coming off a submission victory at UFC 283. 

Without a doubt, this was the fight to make. Pereira defeated Adesanya at UFC 281 in November but needed a fifth-round finish to make it happen. Until that point, he was surely down on the scorecards as Adesanya picked him apart at distance. 

Adesanya had been the UFC’s middleweight champion since 2019 and was undefeated in that weight class for his entire career. He’s earned the chance at redemption, and that’s exactly what’s happening here.

It’s tough to go against the champion, especially someone with such an all-around game like Pereira, but I give the edge to the challenger here. Adesanya, one of the most precise strikers in UFC history, was controlling the entire bout until that moment in the final round. Pereira caught his opponent once on the cage and landed a few huge shots that eventually put Adesanya away. 

I don’t see that happening a second time. Adesanya boasts one of the highest IQs of any fighter in the sport and he’ll fix his mistakes in the rematch. — Rosenstein(The Athletic)