UFC 287 takes place in Miami on Saturday night, with the pay-per-view card anchored by a middleweight title rematch between current 185-pound champion Alex Pereira and former champ Israel Adesanya. This fight comes five months after Pereira won a fifth-round TKO victory to take the belt from Adesanya, but the two have a history together that stretches back much further than that.
In the co-main event, former welterweight title challengers Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal meet in a 170-pound showdown. The card also includes a young talent in the form of 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. in his second UFC fight.
Read on for a betting preview of the main card, along with a look at all the UFC 287 odds from multiple legal US sportsbooks.
UFC 287 main event odds
Alex Pereira () vs. Israel Adesanya ()
Saturday night’s UFC 287 headliner will be the second MMA fight between these two, but the fourth meeting overall. They fought twice before in the sport of kickboxing, with Pereira winning both bouts, the second of which came via knockout.
Shortly after that loss, Adesanya dedicated himself full-time to an MMA career, debuting in the UFC in 2018, then capturing the UFC middleweight title the following year. What followed was a dominant reign atop the 185-pound division — at least until Pereira followed Adesanya into the UFC and beat him for a third time to claim the title.
That last fight was not without bright spots for Adesanya. He had Pereira badly hurt at one point and showed an ability to control him on the mat at another. But in the final round, Pereira rallied against a flagging Adesanya and poured on the strikes to earn a TKO stoppage with just a few minutes remaining in the fight.
Still, oddsmakers don’t seem entirely convinced that Pereira is the better fighter, despite his 3-0 record against Adesanya. Once again, Pereira opened as the underdog, with Adesanya a more modest favorite in this fight than he was in the last. If Adesanya can re-create the successes he had early on in the last fight without once again falling victim to the power and the aggression of Pereira, there’s reason to think he could get his title back.
But at some point, you also have to wonder if there’s a psychological barrier in place. Losing three straight fights to the same person could make it hard to approach the fourth with confidence intact. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Pereira, it’s that he’ll keep coming forward for as long as he’s still upright and conscious.
UFC 287 co-main event odds
Gilbert Burns () vs. Jorge Masvidal ()
Masvidal will likely get a lot of support from his hometown crowd in Miami, but the truth is that he’s in a tough spot here. He’s lost three straight fights. He’s closing in on 40, with rapidly dimming hopes of ever getting another title shot if he can’t stop the skid soon. He’s also drawn an extremely difficult stylistic matchup here, with few obvious paths to victory.
Masvidal needs to win this one, but that might not be enough. Burns has the skills to exploit some of Masvidal’s weaknesses on the mat, but he can also stand and throw when he needs to. There would seem to be several ways for Burns to win this fight, while Masvidal probably needs to get lucky with one perfect shot if he’s to have a chance. In fairness, he’s pulled that off before in his career. It’s just a question of if he can do it again.
UFC 287 props and round betting
The last time Pereira and Adesanya fought, they needed almost the full distance to sort things out. They’re both big guys with excellent striking, so it’s entirely possible the fight could end at any point, though the chances of seeing this fight at least begin Round 5 seem good.
In the co-main event, however, Burns via submission is likely to be a popular choice with many bettors. Masvidal is as tough as they come and won’t give up easily, but Burns knows his best chance is to turn it into a jiu-jitsu match and look for a choke to force the issue inside the distance.
Full UFC 287 odds and fight card
Main card
Alex Pereira () vs. Israel Adesanya ()
Gilbert Burns () vs. Jorge Masvidal ()
Rob Font () vs. Adrian Yanez ()
Kevin Holland () vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio ()
Raul Rosas Jr. () vs. Christian Rodriguez ()
Prelims
Kelvin Gastelum () vs. Chris Curtis ()
Michelle Waterson-Gomez () vs. Luana Pinheiro ()
Gerald Meerschaert () vs. Joe Pyfer ()
Karl Williams () vs. Chase Sherman ()
Early prelims
Cynthia Calvillo () vs. Lupita Godinez ()
Ignacio Bahamondes () vs. Trey Ogden ()
Shayilan Nuerdanbieke () vs. Steve Garcia ()
Jaqueline Amorim () vs. Sam Hughes ()
How to watch UFC 287
- Early prelims on ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET
- Prelims on ESPN, 8 p.m. ET
- Main card on ESPN+ pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET
