UFC 287 headlined by Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya
Middleweight champion Alex Pereira looks to defend his belt against former titleholder Israel Adesanya on April 8.

Make every story count.
Join XP Passport to earn XP as you read and build your martial arts profile.
After one of the most memorable middleweight title fights in UFC history, Alex Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Israel Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) will run it back in the main event of UFC 287 on April 8, with Pereira vowing to put an end to this rivalry once and for all while Adesanya looks to regain the crown and even the score.
Familiar foes who met each other twice on the pro kickboxing circuit, Pereira and Adesanya have long been on a collision course in the sport of mixed martial arts, and after Brazil’s Pereira raced out to three impressive wins in the octagon, he was matched up with Adesanya, one of the UFC’s most dominant titleholders, in the main event of UFC 281 last November in Madison Square Garden.
For four rounds, the pair battled it out in a war of nerves that thrilled the capacity crowd, but in the fifth, it was Pereira scoring the come from behind stoppage at 2:01 of the round to win the middleweight title.
At UFC 287, they’ll meet again
In the co-main event, it’s the long-awaited return of Jorge Masvidal, as he faces No. 5-ranked welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, who is fresh from a big win over Neil Magny last weekend in Rio de Janeiro.
Also announced Friday by UFC president Dana White were the following UFC 287 bouts:
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
This story first published at UFC.com.
More coverage

UFC Vegas 123 preview: Moicano and Nolan headline a Halloween card where the main event odds have already flipped, and Julian Erosa fights for the last time

Four straight losses, a split from City Kickboxing, and a promise of blood in the sand. The former two-time middleweight champion says he has his motivation back.

