In one of the most stacked cards of the year, defending champion Alex Pereira will face former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for the middleweight crown, while at welterweight, Gilbert Burns will face off against Jorge Masvidal in the co-main event at UFC 287. Adesanya had never lost at middleweight. In fact, Adesanya looked unbeatable. But after losing to Alex Pereira at UFC 281, he is looking for his revenge and the opportunity to win the title back in a matchup that promises fireworks from start to finish.
Adesanya realizes this is his last opportunity to win the middleweight title and get revenge against Pereira, who has haunted him his whole career going back to their kickboxing days where Pereira defeated Adesanya twice. On his YouTube channel Adesanya stated: “I like it because it puts it all on me, and it’s kind of poetic in a way. One life: Roll the dice. This is my last shot, and I’m going to give it all I’ve got in every sense of the word.”
The co-main event will feature two South Florida based martial artists, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu savant Gilbert Burns. They will fight in Miami for the right to get one step closer to the welterweight championship. Burns has been dominant, with his only two losses in his last ten fights being to the former champion Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev, who will be making the move to middleweight. A win for Burns will catapult him as a top contender to face the winner of Leon Edwards and Colby Covington or perhaps jump Covington and face Edwards for the welterweight championship.
For Masvidal, this fight is the most important fight of his career. He is coming off of three straight losses, two against former champion Kamaru Usman, and a domination by his arch-rival and former friend Colby Covington. A fourth loss in a row to Burns would mean that Masvidal would be out of the title picture for good, and probably out of the top-15 fighters in his division. In the UFC Countdown fight promo, Masvidal admitted “This could be my last one. If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits”.
Another fight to watch on the main card is the 18-year-old phenom Raul Rosas Jr., from Mexico. Rosas is one of the most talented fighters the UFC has ever seen, defeating men that are five, six years older than him. Rosas Jr., already became the youngest UFC fighter in history to win a UFC fight when he submitted Jay Perrin via rear-naked choke at UFC 282. Rosas will face Christian Rodriguez who is 8-1 in the UFC and has a kickboxing and striking background. What makes Rodriguez dangerous is that he also has a wrestling and Jiu Jitsu component to his game, which will aid in countering Rosas grappling attack. This fight promises to be a fun three round war that will test a young Rosas against a legitimate opponent.
Rollo’s Take
UFC 287 is a crucial night for both Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal. For Adesanya, who has easily been the best middleweight in the history of the division, his failure to defeat Pereira will certainly put a blemish on his all – time status. For Masvidal, this is his last chance to defeat a top contender and fight his way to a title shot. Despite this, I am picking both Alex Pereira and Gilbert Burns to win at UFC 287. Pereira has Adesanya’s number and I don’t trust “Izzy” to mentally overcome the brutal knockout losses he suffered versus Pereira in the Glory kickboxing days and most recently, at UFC 282. Sometimes, a fighter has your number and that seems to be the case with Pereira- Adesanya. With Burns, his jiu jitsu and grappling are elite. Last time Masvidal faced an elite grappler in Covington he lost 50-45. Burns is also an improved striker, becoming dangerous with his hands thanks to legendary trainer Henri Hooft. Masvidal has a puncher’s chance to knock out Burns, but that seems more like a prayer than a reality. I expect Burns to finish Masvidal and end his quest for a title shot.
