UFC 287 WEIGH-IN, PRESSER, MEDIA DAY, COUNTDOWN VIDEO, BETTING ODDS & HOW TO WATCH!
ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET
Prelims on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 8 p.m. ET
Early Prelims on ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 6 p.m. ET
Miami, Florida (April 8th, 2023)-– UFC PPV returns to Miami this weekend, for the first time in almost 20 years, with a blockbuster middleweight championship rematch, UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2. The event will be live from the Kaseya Center this Saturday, April 8 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, exclusively on ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish). The prelims will air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Early Prelims will air on ESPN+ (English & Spanish) and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. Live coverage begins Friday with a special UFC Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
In the main event, newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira (7-1) makes his first title defense in a rematch against former title holder and No. 1 ranked contender Israel Adesanya (23-2). Pereira stunned the world by finishing Adesanya via dramatic comeback knockout in November, scoring his third win against him across kickboxing and MMA. Adesanya, who was undefeated at middleweight through 23 bouts, and was the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion with 5 successful defenses, looks for the chance to reclaim the belt and finally defeat his biggest rival.
In the co-main event, former welterweight challengers collide when No. 5 ranked contender Gilbert Burns (21-5) battles No. 11 Jorge Masvidal (35-16). Burns looks to secure his second finish in a row and make a statement that puts him back into the Championship mix. Fighting in his backyard of Miami for the first time since 2010, Masvidal looks to get back in the win column and re-enter the welterweight Top 10.
In the PPV portion of the card, two young, rising bantamweight prospects square off when Raul Rosas Jr. (7-0) takes on Christian Rodriguez (8-1). This will be the second UFC appearance for Rosas, who at age 17 became the youngest fighter to sign a UFC contract winning in his debut via 1st round submission. Rodriguez is coming off a 1st-round submission of his own too as he looks for a second straight win.
Jon Anik will call the action alongside Joe Rogan and UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division Champion Daniel Cormier. Megan Olivi will handle reporting duties.
In anticipation of the event, ESPN produced a special feature: Jorge Masvidal’s Miami All-Access. In the feature, Brett Okamoto has an in-depth discussion with UFC Superstar Jorge Masvidal as “Gamebred” drives him on a tour of his home city of Miami.
ESPN also produced a special feature around Raul Rosas: Raul Rosas Jr Homecoming. The piece will air on SportsCenter and the English and Spanish preview shows. With his victory at UFC 282, 18 year-old Raúl Rosas Jr. wrote his name in the company’s records book by becoming the youngest fighter to debut and win a fight in the UFC. After his historical victory, Raul embarked on a homecoming trip to Mexico not only to reconnect with his family and roots, but to fulfill a promise.
As part of the Spanish-language coverage, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ will air Camino Al Octagono, a pre-show special that debuted earlier this year providing viewers in-depth analysis, interviews and the latest news around every UFC PPV fight week. This week’s UFC 287 Camino Al Octagono will present insights and analysis around the rematch between Pereira and Adesanya, a look into Jorge Masvidal and Mexican rising star Raul Rosas as he makes his PPV debut. The show airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.
Main Card (PPV, 10:00pm EST/7:00pm PT)
Main Event – Middleweight Title Bout: Alex Pereira (185) vs. Israel Adesanya (184.5)
Co-Main Event – Welterweight Bout: Gilbert Burns (170) vs. Jorge Masvidal (171)
Bantamweight Bout: Rob Font (135) vs. Adrian Yanez (135.5)
Welterweight Bout: Kevin Holland (170.5) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (171)
Bantamweight Bout: Raul Rosas Jr. (135) vs. Christian Rodriguez (137)*
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 8:00pm EST/ 5:00pm PT)
Middleweight Bout: Kelvin Gastelum (185) vs. Chris Curtis (186)
Strawweight Bout: Michelle Waterson-Gomez (116) vs. Luana Pinheiro (115.5)
Middleweight Bout: Gerald Meerschaert (185.5) vs. Joe Pyfer (185.5)
Heavyweight Bout: Karl Williams (241) vs. Chase Sherman (249.5)
Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6:00pm EST/ 3:00pm PT)
Strawweight Bout: Cynthia Calvillo (116) vs. Lupita Godinez (115.5)
Catchweight Bout (160 lbs): Ignacio Bahamondes (159.5) vs. Trey Ogden (159.5)
Featherweight Bout: Steve Garcia (145.5) vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (146)
Strawweight bout: Jaqueline Amorim (115.5) vs. Sam Hughes (116)
UFC 287 Betting Odds:
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