UFC 287 Tips: Pereira vs Adesanya 2

<p>No Fight Night last weekend means we’re chomping at the bit for some action and UFC 287 is delivering in spades.</p> <p>This Sunday afternoon, fight fans will be treated to one of the biggest grudge matches of the year as arch-rivals Alex Pereira &amp; Israel Adesanya meet for the 2nd time in the Octagon.</p> <p>Pereira was the challenger when they met at UFC 281 and a KO in Round 5 earned him the Middleweight championship in what was only his 4th ever UFC fight.</p> <p>Fans of both will know that this isn’t the first time they’ve faced each other, these two have been scrapping since they met in back in 2016 in the kickboxing arena. This Sunday will be the 4th installment of the rivalry, a rivalry that Alex Pereira is dominating.&nbsp;He's&nbsp;currently 3-0 and will be looking to make it 4 against the former champion and now #1 contender.</p> <p>We’ve also got the BMF Jorge Masvidal taking on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event. Masvidal is looking to bounce back from a 3-loss streak that saw him lose to former champion Kamaru Usman twice (one via BRUTAL knockout) and Colby Covington.</p> <p>Outside of the main events, we’ve got an unreal main card. Let’s check out the fights.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Prelim Fights to Watch</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Gerald Meerschaert vs Joe Pyfer Prediction</h3> <p>It’s a tale as old as time - the experienced and proven veteran taking on the up-and-coming rookie prospect.</p> <p>Meerschaert is 35-15 in his career and has been an Octagon regular for the last decade. The 35-year-old is coming off a big submission victory against Bruno Silva in August of last year and will be looking to add Joe Pyfer to his long list of conquests.</p> <p>Pyfer is 10-2 in his career and at only 26, the UFC is his oyster so to speak. His UFC debut against Alen Amedovski went exactly how you’d hope, with a 1st Round KO.</p> <p>The UFC are looking to build Pyfer’s profile here with a couple quick wins so it’s his to lose. It’s looking like a points or KO victory for Joe “Bodybagz” Pyfer.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/gerald-meerschaert-v-joe-pyfer-7221495">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Joe Pyfer to Win via KO or Points</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Chris Curtis vs Kelvin Gastelum Prediction</h3> <p>Oh how the mighty have fallen.</p> <p>Only 5 fights ago Kelvin Gastelum was competing for the middleweight title, now he can’t even make it onto a main event card. Times have been tough for Gastelum with only 1 win in the last 4 years. He also hasn’t fought during all of 2022 so expect some serious ring rust.</p> <p>Gastelum takes on Chris Curtis who’s coming off a KO victory against Joaquin Buckley. Curtis will be looking for a win to move him up the Top #15 rankings and get him one step closer to that coveted title shot.</p> <p>Gastelum is an exciting fighter to watch but he’s past his prime. He’s too slow and Curtis is a man on a mission.</p> <p>In his 8 losses, Gastelum has never been knocked out and Curtis won’t be the one to do it, expect this to go to decision.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/chris-curtis-v-kelvin-gastelum-7221500">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Chris Curtis to Win via decision</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>UFC 287 Main Card Tips</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Raul Rosas Jr vs Christian Rodriguez Prediction</h3> <p>To kick off the main event we’ve got the 18-year-old phenom Raul Rosas Jr facing Christian “CeeRod” Rodriguez.</p> <p>Both guys are serious up-and-comers, and both are coming in off Round 1 submission victories.</p> <p>Rosas Jr is the UFC’s golden goose and the fact he’s already on a main event card after 1 fight is proof in the pudding. They want to promote him, and that can’t happen if he loses.</p> <p>Rodriguez is a decent fighter, but Rosas Jr is favourite for a reason and we’re expecting him to get his hand raised in the Octagon.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/raul-rosas-jr-v-christian-rodriguez-7221502">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Raul Rosas Jr to Win via Submission</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Kevin Holland vs Santiago Ponzinibbio Prediction</h3> <p>Mr. Big Mouth himself is back after a tough couple of losses to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson &amp; Khamzat Chimaev.</p> <p>A 2-loss streak looks bad on paper but they’re not as bad as they seem. He was unprepared and took the Khamzat fight on short notice after the Chechen born Swede came in a 7.5lbs overweight for his fight against Tony Diaz, while his fight against the Wonderboy was called early due to Holland damaging&nbsp;his hand (full credit to Thompson who was dominating the fight and would have won via decision).</p> <p>Holland will fight Santiago Ponzinibbio who’s 10-year UFC career speaks for itself. He’s fought and won against just about half the middleweight division and at age 36, he doesn’t look like he’ll stop anytime soon.</p> <p>Holland has terrible takedown defence, which was exposed by Chimaev, but Ponzinibbio averages 0.52 takedowns per 15 minutes, so you’d expect him to come in with a striking heavy gameplan. If you put these toe-to-toe in a striking battle, Holland wins every time. He’s more evasive and he has the tank to keep going for the full 15.</p> <p>As impressive as Ponzinibbio’s resume is, Holland looks like the better fighter. He’ll be looking to bounce back and make a case for the top #15 in what’s an absolutely stacked division.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/kevin-holland-v-santiago-ponzinibbio-7221503">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Kevin Holland to Win via KO or Points</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Rob Font vs Adrian Yanez Prediction</h3> <p>Another established veteran taking on an exciting up-and-comer. Is anyone else beginning to notice a trend?</p> <p>Rob Font is now 35 years old and has put on some pretty shocking performances as of late. He got knocked down 3 times and lost a 50-45 decision to Jose Aldo back in 2021 and only 3 months later he was knocked down another 3 times against Chito Vera.</p> <p>Adrian Yanez is 29 and in the prime of his career. He’s an absolutely electric striker when he turns up to fight and the prospect of claiming the scalp of the #6 bantamweight in the world will be very tantalizing indeed.</p> <p>Font’s last 2 fights inspire little confidence and if that same fighter turns up on Sunday, Yanez will be walking away with a win.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/rob-font-v-adrian-yanez-7221501">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Adrian Yanez to win via KO or Points</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Gilbert Burns vs Jorge Masvidal Prediction</h3>

<p>The Baddest MotherF@#$er in the UFC is back.</p> <p>Jorge Masvidal earned that title back in 2019 against Nate Diaz and unfortunately for him, he hasn’t won since. To be fair, 2 of those 3 fights we’re against Kamaru Usman who was the #1 pound-for-pound fighter at the time.</p> <p>Gamebred Masvidal is looking to get back in the winner’s circle against Gilbert Burns who’s coming in off a big submission victory over Neil Magny back in January.</p> <p>Burns is an incredible grappler and at first glance you would think he’ll just take Masvidal down early and give him the same treatment that Magny received. However, Masvidal hasn’t been submitted since 2009 so unfortunately for Burns,&nbsp;it won’t be that easy. Gamebred is an incredible defensive grappler, and his last 3 fights have all been for 5 rounds (except when Usman knocked him out in the 2nd), so you know he’s got the cardio down pat.</p> <p>We’re tipping Masvidal to win this. It’s hard to pick the method as the fight can go any of 3 ways but expect the BMF to come out on top.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/gilbert-burns-v-jorge-masvidal-7221504">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Jorge Masvidal to Win</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya Prediction&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Finally, we get to the main event of the evening and what a fight we have in store.</p> <p>While the card say’s Pereira vs Adesanya 2 we all know its actually Pereira vs Adesanya 4 when you include their previous 2 kickboxing bouts.</p> <p>Of the 3-fight series, Pereira is 3-0 which doesn’t look good for Izzy, who until November last year, looked impossible to beat.</p> <p>Pereira is showing that you can run, but you can’t hide from the Hands of Stone.</p> <p>To be fair to the Stylebender, he put on a very impressive performance back in November and looked like he’d get the points victory until he was finished in the last round.</p> <p>The way that Adesanya fights is a war of attrition. He’s learned from their last fight, and he’ll know what to expect now when he faces Pereira in an MMA fight. This could go either way, but we’re thinking we’ll see a full 25 minutes of action.</p> <p>If you <strong>had </strong>to pick a winner for this next fight, you’d have to pick Pereira for no other reason that he’s won every single time they’ve fought. He’s got Izzy in his back pocket and he’s not going anywhere.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-287/alex-pereira-v-israel-adesanya-7112907">Bet Here</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Fight to go the distance</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Not avaliable in SA.&nbsp;</em></p>