Israel Adesanya gets one more chance to prove he’s the better man against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 on Saturday night.
Only this time, it’s “The Last Stylebender” entering the fight as the challenger, with “Poatan” having defeated him in a fifth-round comeback at UFC 281 back in November.
That stunning come-from-behind victory in a fight Adesanya had clearly been winning shocked just about everyone, not the least of which being Adesanya himself. The New Zealand star middleweight dropped to 0-3 against Pereira with the loss, after losing to his rival twice in their kickboxing days.
Should Pereira emerge victorious in Miami this weekend, a fifth shot at the Brazilian is highly unlikely — and would leave Adesanya in limbo.
A familiar tale appears in the UFC 287 co-main event, where Jorge Masvidal is in win-or-go home territory against Gilbert Burns. A loss would not quash the marketability of “Gamebred” in the least, but he appears to have little desire (and little need) of just fighting for a paycheck. A win against Burns could catapult him into a high-profile fight with Leon Edwards, at which time the “three piece and a soda” clips will finally pay off.
Weigh-ins for UFC 287 take place Friday morning in Miami, Florida — full results can be found below.
All fighters were on point for Friday’s UFC 287 weigh-in save for Christian Rodriguez, who came in 1.5lbs heavy for his fight with Raul Rosas Jr. (Rodriguez later re-weighed, at 137).
UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 Weigh-In Results
Main card
Middleweight: Alex Pereira (c) (185) vs. Israel Adesanya (184.5) — for the UFC middleweight championship
Welterweight: Gilbert Burns (170) vs. Jorge Masvidal (171)
Bantamweight: Rob Font (135) vs. Adrian Yanez (135.5)
Welterweight: Kevin Holland (170.5) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (171)
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. (135) vs. Christian Rodriguez (137)*
Preliminary card
Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum (185) vs. Chris Curtis (186)
Women’s Strawweight: Michelle Waterson-Gomez (116) vs. Luana Pinheiro
Middleweight: Gerald Meerschaert (185.5) vs. Joe Pyfer (185.5)
Heavyweight: Karl Williams (241) vs. Chase Sherman (249.5)
Early preliminary card
Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Calvillo (116) vs. Lupita Godinez (115.5)
Catchweight (160lb): Ignacio Bahamondes (159.5) vs. Trey Ogden (159.5)
Featherweight: Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (146) vs. Steve Garcia (145.5)
Women’s Strawweight: Jaqueline Amorim (115.5) vs. Sam Hughes (116)
* Rodriguez misses weight by 1.5lbs for his fight with Raul Rosas Jr. On second attempt, he hits 137, still 1lb heavy.
