Israel Adesanya is the Favorite to Regain the UFC Middleweight Title

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to Miami for only the second time in its long and illustrious history on April 8, and the card is nothing short of spectacular. Headlining UFC 287 is the eagerly anticipated rematch between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, where the UFC Middleweight title is on the line. Pereira inflicted Adesanya’s first defeat at middleweight and Adesanya’s first stoppage by TKO, but Adesanya is the clear favorite to regain his title with online sports betting giant BetUS.

Adesanya and Pereira have a long-term rivalry that dates back to their kickboxing days. In 2016, Pereira ended Adesanya’s 11-fight unbeaten streak at the Glory of Heroes 1 kickboxing event in China with a unanimous decision. Almost exactly a year later, Periera knocked out Adesanya with a brutal left hook that left “The Last Stylebender” out for the count. That was the last time Adesanya competed in the kickboxing world.

Pereira Has Inflicted Three Defeats on Adesanya

Adesanya went 20 professional MMA fights unbeaten, including capturing the title UFC Middleweight Championship against Robert Whittaker. He attempted to step up to the Light Heavyweight division, where he faced Jan Blachowicz for the title at UFC 259. However, Blachowicz won via a unanimous decision. After dropping back down to the middleweight class, Adesanya successfully defended his title another three times before Pereira, his nemesis, inflicted Adesanya’s first-ever middleweight defeat.

Pereira was competing in only his fourth fight with the UFC when he stepped into the octagon against his arch-rival. Bookmakers, pundits, and MMA experts predicted a relatively straightforward victory for Adesanya, but they were wrong. Adesanya had the upper hand during the early confrontations, and Pereira’s legs wobbled on several occasions following crushing blows from Adesanya. Matters grew worse for Pereira in the third round when a failed trip attempt left him at the mercy of Adesanya on the ground.

Adesanya was way ahead on points going into the final round, but Pereira refused to be beaten. Pereira smelled a chance of glory when Adesanya was visibly hurt after checking a kick, and the Brazilian decided to go on the all-out attack. Pereira unleashed a flurry of ferocious punches, with several connecting despite Adesanya’s best efforts to duck and weave. Eventually, the referee stepped in to save Adesanya from being seriously hurt, although Adesanya protested he could continue. And with that, the UFC had a new middleweight champion.

Can Pereira Beat Adesanya For a Fourth Time?

There is no doubt that newly crowned champion Pereira will go into the rematch against Aesanya at UFC 287 full of confidence. Not only has the Brazilian beaten his rival twice in kickboxing, but he now has an MMA victory over him. Could that supreme confidence work against Pereira? You will not find an MMA fan that does not think that Pereira is better than Adesanya in terms of technical ability; Adesanya even has a better ground game despite that being a weak area of the Kiwi. However, one area in which Pereira does have an advantage is his punching power. It is difficult to see how Adesanya can avoid Pereira’s big shots for a full 25 minutes.

It should be an intriguing fight in Miami, not least because it is obvious Pereira has Adesanya’s number. Furthermore, Adesanya will likely change his fighting style because it seems not to work against the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist. Adesanya usually fights one way; if that does not work, he just tries to do it better. He has had five months to prepare for this fight, and there are question marks over Adesanya’s mental game and whether he can make sweeping changes in such a quick turnaround. On ability alone, Adesanya should regain the middleweight title he believes is his, but Pereira is more than capable of causing another upset. We cannot wait