UFC 287: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya Preview, Odds, Predictions

The bout between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya might be one of those epic fights, and that’s why the UFC 287 creates such massive hype in the MMA community. Izzy was one of the most dominant guys in the organization, but it seems his legacy might be diminished if he loses again against the Brazilian. That would be his fourth consecutive defeat against Pereira, who defeated him twice in the kickboxing events. The Kiwi was close to stopping the negative streak in the previous contest, but he couldn’t endure the last round, so Poatan knocked him out.

Here is the preview for the welterweight bout Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal.

Preview

Alex Pereira (7-1, +115) is the underdog with most bookmakers, but some are giving the edge to the Brazilian fella. Poatan is the one guy in the world who dominates Izzy in the middleweight division, with three victories. It must be mentioned that Pereira is much bigger than most of his rivals due to his massive frame, which fills up quickly following his weight in cuts. 

Pereira lost his first MMA contest, and after that won eight in a row, beating some UFC names like Bruno Silva, Andreas Michailidis, Sean Strickland (whom he viciously knocked out), and, at last Izzy. 

Seven of his victories were via KO, which shows only how strong this guy is. Poatan means “stone hands,” which perfectly describes Pereira, whose punches are probably among the strongest, even among the light heavyweights,, let alone in the middleweight division. He knows how to make superb combos and hurt antagonists with his legs. He might seem a bit slower than other rivals, yet he moves pretty quickly for his size. 

Israel Adesanya (23-2, -120) was the face of the organization at some point and arguably the most dominant fighter alongside Kamaru. That changed in the past two years. Izzy’s first defeat came against Jan Blachowicz when he moved one division up trying to win the light heavyweight title, and now, following his third loss against Pereira, his first in the UFC.

Adesanya had five title defenses after winning the belt against Robert Whittaker, and he was confident in all of them. There was some criticism due to a bit dull and conservative approach in the octagon, but honestly, he was extremely convincing in all of them.

Izzy is extremely fast and has a long reach which helps him restrain the rival while being at a safe distance. He is also very intelligent inside the octagon and follows the game plan perfectly, adjusting the rhythm and the pace in accordance with his preferred flow. 

Prediction

Pereira probably knows Izzy better now than before regarding MMA skills, but we don’t think he can improve more than Adesanya, who showed us that he evolves and adjusts his game plan after each battle. Don’t forget that Adesanya led in the scorecards before the stoppage and that Pereira had luck with the horn stopping Izzy from finishing the Brazilian after the opening round. That’s why we go with the Kiwi, believing he can regain the middleweight belt. 

Pick: Israel Adesanya wins -120

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