"UFC 287 Main Event: Adesanya and Pereira to Clash Again for Middleweight Title"
Pereira and Israel Adesanya will again face off in the octagon, as the middleweight title is up for grabs in the headliner of UFC 287 on April 8th. President Dana White announced the rematch on Friday. In addition to Pereira vs. Adesanya 2, the UFC 287 card will also feature a unique attraction, as Gilbert Burns welcomes Masvidal back to the sport after a year of absence. Pereira will make his first title defense, after a stunning fifth-round comeback to knock out Adesanya in their previous encounter in November. Pereira previously held two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, including a brutal knockout in their second fight, which set the stage for their showdown in the UFC. Now, Pereira will look to maintain his undefeated run against Adesanya going, while Adesanya will seek venge against the only person to hand him a defeat at middleweight in the UFC. Meanwhile, Burns will finally get the chance to face off with Masvidal after the welterweights both called for that matchup through various interviews, but the fight never came together. What started as A Good Read transformed into a bitter rivalry, with Burns and Masvidal both firing at each other over social media. They will look to resolve their differences in April. Also announced for UFC 287, welterweights Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio will clash on the main card, along with previously announced fights pitting Raul Rosas Jr. against Rodriguez and Rob Font taking on Adrian Yanez.
