After weeks of speculation, UFC 287 has found a home.
On Saturday, promotion officials announced that the PPV event would take place in Miami, Florida. The card, set for April 8, 2023, will take place at the Miami-Dade Arena, and is headlined by Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya running it back for the UFC middleweight championship.
In the co-main event, Miami-area staple Jorge Masvidal faces Gilbert Burns in a welterweight match-up.
NOW THIS is how you start a Saturday!! @DanaWhite confirms @TheNotoriousMMA vs @MikeChandlerMMA for #TUF31 AND that #UFC287 is headed to Miami! ☀️ pic.twitter.com/TByEq2D2bJ
— UFC (@ufc) February 4, 2023
“Gamebred” will be fighting at home in Miami for the first time since 2010, in a bout that took place outside the UFC. He did compete in nearby Jacksonville, Florida in 2021, in the second of two failed title bids against Kamaru Usman.
With two Pay-Per-View events scheduled for March, UFC 287 is the third high-profile card in a short stretch starting on March 4, when Jon Jones faces Ciryl Gane for heavyweight gold at UFC 285. Just weeks later on March 18, UFC 286 arrives, with the octagon headed to London for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3.
In addition to the main and co-main events, the following bouts are set for the April 8 show in Miami:
- Alex Pereira (c) vs. Israel Adesanya — for the UFC middleweight championship
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Nikolas Motta
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
- Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Michael Chiesa vs. Li Jingliang
