UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 Undercard Preview & Best Bets

A UFC Middleweight Championship bout headlines UFC 287 as Alex Pereira puts his title on the line against former champion Israel Adesanya. But before that, a battle of bantamweight contenders and entertaining welterweights will do battle.

• Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023 | Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Miami-Dade Arena – Miami, Florida | TV: PPV

Check out our pick for this massive main event

No. 6 ranked bantamweight Rob Font hopes to keep the gate closed against No. 12 Adrian Yanez. Yanez has to get through Font to enter the top ten rankings, riding a nine-fight win streak (5-0 UFC). The 29-year-old has knocked out seven of his past nine opponents while picking up UFC wins against Victor Rodriguez, Gustavo Lopez, Randy Costa, Davey Grant, and Tony Kelley. Font has lost two straight to Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo but had a four-fight win streak before that.

Font is an inch taller and has a one-and-a-half-inch reach advantage. Font averages almost double the average fight time of Yanez, 12:31 to 6:39. However, Yanez will have a significant power edge, averaging 2.26 knockdowns per 15 minutes to Font’s 0.51. They both land many significant strikes per minute at 6.38 and 6.62., but Font absorbs 1.54 fewer. Font averages 1.03 takedowns per 15 minutes, but Yanez has a perfect takedown defense rate.

Yanez is the favorite at -200, but taking those odds against a legit threat like Font is tough. However, so far, everything Yanez has touched he has knocked out. With the volume, each of the fighters throws, expect Yanez to land a fight-ender. Take Yanez to win by KO/TKO at +180.

No. 5 ranked welterweight Gilbert “Durinho” Burns faces No. 11 Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal. Burns is 2-2 over his past four UFC fights, but those two losses were to the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev and the champion at the time Kamaru Usman. Before his previous four fights, Burns had a five-fight win streak, including victories over Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Mike Davis, Alexey Kunchenko, Gunnar Nelson, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley. Masvidal is on a three-fight skid, also losing to the top fighters in the division (Usman twice and Colby Covington once). Before those losses, Masvidal won three in a row, beating Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz.

Masvidal is one inch taller and has a three-inch reach advantage. Gamebred should enjoy the power edge knocking down opponents 0.45 times per 15 minutes to Burns’s 0.28. Masvidal also lands more significant strikes per minute at 4.11 to Durinho’s 3.42 and absorbs 0.11 fewer. Burns should have a massive advantage in grappling, averaging 2.03 takedowns per minute to 1.44, but Masvidal has a 74 percent takedown defense rate. Burns is also a highly decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor outside the UFC cage.

At -530, Burns is a massive favorite and not worth an outright wager. Our best bets to make some money will be Burns by submission at +230 or Masvidal by KO/TKO at +700. More than likely, Burns wins this bout, and there’s a decent chance he can submit Gambred.

• Yanez by KO/TKO (+180)
• Burns by submission (+230)

Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook