UFC 287 Fight Card Alex Pereira Vs Israel Adesanya 2 Gilbert Burns Vs Jorge Masvidal Set For April 8

In the spring, a middleweight title rematch is scheduled, and two welterweight rivals will finally square off.Israel Adesanya won't have to wait long to have another opportunity to defend his middleweight title. On April 8, the main event of UFC 287 will feature a rematch between Adesanya and the newly crowned champion Alex Pereira, UFC president Dana White said on Friday. The venue has not yet been chosen for the event.In the main event of UFC 281, Pereira (7-1) defeated Adesanya (23-2) through sudden stoppage in the fifth round despite being down on the official scorecards. With the victory, Pereira claimed the middleweight title in only his fourth UFC match and ninth overall as a professional.Adesanya's streak of five successful championship defences came to an end with the defeat, which was his first as a middleweight (his only previous MMA loss came at light heavyweight against Jan Blachowicz).The two had a history before their first UFC encounter. Adesanya was twice defeated in the kickboxing ring by Pereira. While the outcome of their first encounter was highly contested, Pereira defeated Adesanya in their rematch.Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal, two past welterweight championship contenders, will square off in a major fight as the co-main event of UFC 287, according to White.Burns received a first-round submission from Neil Magny earlier in January. His defeat against Khamzat Chimaev in April 2022-considered one of the year's top fights—was offset by his triumph.Masvidal has lost his last three fights, twice against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and then to Colby Covington.Usman will face Leon Edwards again; Edwards beat Usman at UFC 278. A victory (or defeat) by both Edwards and Masvidal might set up a future fight, while Burns will want to keep winning to earn a rematch. Edwards and Masvidal have a history of hostility dating back to a backstage confrontation in March 2019.In addition, White revealed that the welterweight matchup between Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio, the fight between 19-year-old sensation Raul Rosas Jr. and Christian Rodriguez, and the fight between bantamweight contenders Adrian Yanez and Rob Font would all take place on the undercard of UFC 287.