Alex Pereira to rematch Israel Adesanya for middleweight title at UFC 287

27 January 2023 , 22:54

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Alex Pereira (left) beat Nigeria's Israel Adesanya who had the financial backing of Drake (Image: Frank Franklin II/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Alex Pereira will defend his middleweight title against old foe Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 on April 8.

UFC president Dana White announced the news during a special announcement on Saturday evening. No location or venue has been announced for the pay-per-view event in April, but it's expected that it will take place in New York with the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden being potential venues.

Pereira won the middleweight belt by stopping Adesanya in the final round of their title clash at UFC 281 last November. The Brazilian needed a finish after falling behind on the scorecards and with the help of an inspiring speech from his coaches, he stopped Adesanya with just three minutes left of the fight.

Alex Pereira will rematch Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 (Frank Franklin II/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Adesanya held the middleweight title for over three years and defended it five times before losing it to Pereira, who has previously beaten him twice during their kickboxing days. 'The Last Stylebender' cleared out most of the top contenders in his weight class such as Jared Cannonier and Robert Whittaker, but he met his match in Pereira and will now have the chance to avenge the defeat.

In the co-main event of UFC 287, inaugural 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal fights for the first time in over a year as he faces Gilbert Burns. Masvidal lost his last fight to old friend turned bitter rival Colby Covington and is now facing charges of felony battery after an alleged attack on Covington that is said to have to taken place two weeks after their sanctioned fight. Burns was in action at UFC 283 earlier this month as he submitted Neil Magny in the first round.

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Who wins the rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below

18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr, who is the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, is also competing at the April 8 event as he looks for his second win in the promotion. Rosas, who faces Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287, won his promotional debut last month by tapping out his opponent in the first round to earn a $50,000 performance bonus.

Kevin Holland will return after breaking in his hand against Stephen Thompson last month as the brash American faces Santiago Ponzinibbio at the April event. A bantamweight clash between skilled strikers Rob Font and Adrian Yanez has also been added to the pay-per-view card.

Harry Davies