MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH HEADLINES UFC 287

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MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH BETWEEN

(C) ALEX PEREIRA AND (#1) ISRAEL ADESANYA

HEADLINES UFC® 287 IN MIAMI

 

FEATRED BOUTS:

(#5) GILBERT BURNS vs. (#11) JORGE MASVIDAL

(#6) ROB FONT vs. (#13) ADRIAN YANEZ

KEVIN HOLLAND vs. SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO

 

UFC® 287: PEREIRA vs. ADESANYA 2

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24

Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Miami, Fla. for the first time in almost 20 years with a blockbuster middleweight championship rematch that will see Alex Pereira go for his first successful title defense against former titleholder and No. 1 ranked contender Israel Adesanya. Also, former welterweight title challengers collide when current No. 5 ranked contender Gilbert Burns battles No. 11 Jorge Masvidal.

UFC® 287: PEREIRA vs. ADESANYA 2 takes place Saturday, April 8 from Miami-Dade Arena with the main card at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be seen on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the night’s action starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with Early Prelims on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) and UFC Fight Pass.

UFC® 287: PEREIRA vs. ADESANYA 2 tickets will go on sale Friday, Feb. 24 at 12 p.m. ET and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 12 p.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Feb. 23 starting at 12 p.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Media members wishing to apply for UFC® 287: PEREIRA vs. ADESANYA 2 fight week credentials may sign up here.

Newly crowned champion Pereira (7-1, fighting out of Danbury, Conn. by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil) stunned the world by dethroning Adesanya via dramatic comeback KO in November. A former kickboxing titleholder, he also holds memorable KO wins over Sean Strickland and Andreas Michailidis. Pereira now intends to secure his first successful title defense by once again stopping Adesanya in emphatic fashion.

Former champion Adesanya (23-2, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) plans to earn a measure of revenge against Pereira. Among the greatest middleweights in UFC history, he holds spectacular victories against Robert Whittaker (twice), Paulo Costa and Anderson Silva. Adesanya now has his sights set on reclaiming the belt with another highlight-reel finish.

Burns (21-5, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) wastes no time getting back in the Octagon following his January win over Neil Magny. A submission ace with heavy hands, Burns also holds impressive victories against Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia. Burns now hopes to stake his claim for another title shot by taking out Masvidal.

Miami’s Masvidal (35-16, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) attempts to steal the show in front of his hometown fans and start his 2023 campaign off with a vintage performance. A perennial fan favorite, he has secured thrilling victories over Nate Diaz, Ben Askren and Darren Till. Masvidal now looks to deliver another incredible KO to re-enter the welterweight Top 10.

Additional bouts on the card include:

  • No. 6 ranked Rob Font (19-6, fighting out of Woburn, Mass.) meets No. 13 Adrian Yanez (16-3, fighting out of Houston, Texas) in an intriguing clash of bantamweight contenders
  • Kevin Holland (23-9 1NC, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) squares off with Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-6, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) in a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks
  • Raul Rosas Jr. (7-0, fighting out Las Vegas, Nev.) aims to remain undefeated when he faces Christian Rodriguez (8-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) in an exciting bantamweight tilt
  • No. 13 ranked middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum (17-8 1NC, fighting out of Yuma, Ariz.) battles No. 14 Chris Curtis (30-9, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • No. 13 ranked welterweight contender Michael Chiesa (18-6, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) faces Li Jingliang (19-8, fighting out of Beijing, China)
  • No. 11 strawweight contender Michelle Waterson (18-10, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) takes on No. 13 Luana Pinheiro (10-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
  • Chris Barnett (23-8, fighting out of Athens, Ga.) locks horns with Chase Sherman (16-11, fighting out of D’Iberville, Miss.) in an exciting heavyweight tilt
  • Gerald Meerschaert (35-15, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) squares off with streaking Joe Pyfer (9-2, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) at middleweight
  • No. 14 ranked flyweight contender Cynthia Calvillo (9-5-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) returns to strawweight when she meets Loopy Godinez (8-3, fighting out of Vancouver, B.C., Canada by way of Aguascalientes, Mexico)
  • Dana White’s Contender Series signees face off when Ignacio Bahamondes (13-4, fighting out of Chicago, Ill. by way of Santiago, Chile) takes on Nikolas Motta (13-4, fighting out of Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil) at lightweight
  • Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (39-10, fighting out of Beijing, China) goes for his fourth consecutive win when he takes on Steve Garcia (13-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) at featherweight
  • Undefeated prospect Jaqueline Amorim (6-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) makes her UFC debut against Sam Hughes (7-5, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change. Please click here to apply for the event.