Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2

For the champion, there has to be a sense of satisfaction in achieving the goal he set for himself upon transitioning to mixed martial arts following an outstanding kickboxing career, and the confidence that comes with having emerged victorious each time he’s competed against the charismatic “Stylebender.”

For the challenger, the positive elements from their November encounter at Madison Square Garden are likely dulled because of the result, and joined by momentary creeping thoughts about whether the hulking Brazilian is that final level boss he’s just never going to beat.

Alex Pereira Career Highlights: Journey To The Belt

Stylistically, this remains a fascinating cat-and-mouse game between the more powerful, marauding Pereira and the dexterous, counter-striking style of Adesanya, who showed in their last meeting that he’s able to sprinkle some grappling into the exchanges in order to mix things up if needed.

This isn’t one of those rivalries defined by bad blood, verbal warfare, and pre-fight acts of hostility, but rather one between two elite talents looking to prove their superiority while competing at the highest level, where each man knows that, ultimately, the next fight is always the most important one in the series.

Co-Main Event: Gilbert Burns vs Jorge Masvidal 

Gilbert Burns ventures to Miami to face off with Jorge Masvidal in his own backyard in the welterweight co-main event.

Burns has gone 2-1 since challenging for the welterweight title, besting Stephen Thompson prior to his epic clash with Khamzat Chimaev last year and then rebounding with a dominant submission win over Neil Magny last time out. Masvidal has had no such luck, as “Gamebred” followed his tandem setbacks against Usman with a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Colby Covington in the UFC 272 main event last March, and looks to break out of his funk in front of what should be a partisan crowd in his hometown.

UFC 287 FREE FIGHTS: Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz | Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny | Rob Font vs Marlon Moraes | Adrian Yanez vs Tony Kelley

With Edwards now standing tall atop the division, this one carries legitimate championship stakes, as Burns can make a case for contention with a win and Masvidal has lingering history with the champ, so be sure to pay close attention to how this one plays out.

Other UFC 287 Main Card Fights

Rob Font vs Adrian Yanez 

It’s a classic “veteran versus prospect” battle in the bantamweight division as Rob Font and Adrian Yanez meet in the middle of Saturday’s pay-per-view main card.

Holland arrives on a two-fight slide, having followed up his short-notice loss to the previously mentioned Chimaev with a fourth-round, injury-stoppage loss to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at the end of last year. Conversely, Ponzinibbio enters having snatched victory from the jaws of defeat last time out, rallying to finish Alex Morono in the third-round of a fight he was losing.

These two present as polar opposites inside the Octagon, with Holland often looking unfocused and more worried about playing to the crowd, while his Argentinian counterpart is steely, determined, and driven from the second he crosses into the UFC cage. Will Holland bounce back or does Ponzinibbio hand him a third straight loss?

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Christian Rodriguez

Promising young bantamweights Raul Rosas Jr. and Christian Rodriguez are tasked with kicking off the main card this weekend in Miami.

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Loopy Godinez

Cynthia Calvillo returns to strawweight with designs on returning to the win column, as well, while Loopy Godinez looks to bounce back by handing the veteran another defeat. Calvillo went up to flyweight after struggling to make the 115-pound limit a couple times, won her debut, but then lost four straight, prompting the move back down. The Vancouver-based Godinez has gone 3-3 in her first six UFC appearances, most recently suffering a decision to loss to divisional stalwart Angela Hill last summer.

Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden

Ignacio Bahamondes looks to make it three-in-a-row on Saturday as he faces off with short-notice replacement Trey Ogden in this lightweight preliminary card contest. The 25-year-old Bahamondes has earned third-round stoppage wins in each of his last two outings after dropping his promotional debut to veteran John Makdessi. After his fight on March 25 was scuttled due to a medical issue with his opponent, Ogden jumped at the chance to replace Nikolas Motta here, eager to build on his victory over Daniel Zellhuber from September.

Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia

Featherweights Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and Steve Garcia aim to build off positive recent results in this early UFC 287 clash. The 28-year-old Nuerdanbieke has won three straight since dropping his promotional debut, while Garcia got back into the win column with an emphatic stoppage win over Chase Hooper last time out. Will “Wolverine” continue to dominate or can Garcia halt his momentum and pick up a second consecutive victory for himself?

Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes

Newcomer Jaqueline Amorim and Sam Hughes are tasked with kicking things off in Miami on Saturday. Amorim was a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champion while progressing through the ranks and has gone 6-0 since transitioning to mixed martial arts, winning and successfully defending the LFA strawweight title while not yet seeing the second round. A former college track athlete, Hughes dropped her first three UFC appearances, rebounded with consecutive wins after shifting her training to Fortis MMA, but dropped a decision to Piera Rodriguez last time out.