UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Introduction
UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 took place on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. It was the immediate rematch of one of the most dramatic championship fights of 2022 — Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira — and it produced a clean second-round KO win for Adesanya that leveled the MMA series 1-1 and officially confirmed that the kickboxing-into-MMA rivalry was now a genuine back-and-forth contest. The card produced an estimated 700,000 pay-per-view buys.
Alex Pereira had won the middleweight title by fifth-round TKO at UFC 281 in November 2022 after losing on every scorecard through four rounds. He entered UFC 287 as the -140 favourite despite the dramatic nature of the UFC 281 finish. Adesanya was +115. The rematch was framed as the most personal immediate title fight since Nunes-Pena 2.
Round two ended it. Adesanya landed a clean left hook at 4:00 that hurt Pereira against the cage, pressed with sustained combinations, and finished with a right hand that dropped the champion at 4:21. Referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight. Israel Adesanya was the UFC middleweight champion for the second time in his career.
The co-main was Jorge Masvidal's final UFC fight. Gilbert Burns stopped him via TKO at 4:07 of round two — a clean performance from Burns that confirmed Masvidal's trajectory had peaked at UFC 261. Masvidal announced his retirement from MMA immediately after the fight. The Miami crowd — Masvidal's hometown audience — gave him a five-minute standing ovation.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
📍 Venue: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida, USA
👥 Attendance: 19,845 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $9.1 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~700,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Alex Pereira (c) vs. Israel Adesanya — UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lbs)
✅ Result: Adesanya def. Pereira via KO (punches) — R2, 4:21
🥇 Co-Main: Gilbert Burns def. Jorge Masvidal via TKO (punches) — R2, 4:07 — Welterweight (Masvidal's final UFC fight)
The Build-Up
The rematch narrative was built around two questions: whether Pereira's UFC 281 win had been a fluke of late-round chaos, and whether Adesanya's cardio-driven dominance for four rounds would hold up differently in the rematch. Pereira was the -140 favourite — the market giving him credit for the UFC 281 result despite losing on every scorecard through four rounds. Adesanya was +115.
The personal backstory was the most complete of any UFC middleweight rivalry of the modern era: Pereira had defeated Adesanya three times across both sports (2016 decision, 2017 KO, 2022 UFC 281 TKO). UFC 287 was Adesanya's chance to win his first meeting with Pereira. The Miami venue — a subtropical setting rather than the MSG stage of UFC 281 — was neutral ground.
The co-main was framed as Jorge Masvidal's farewell. The Miami native and former BMF champion had been 0-3 in his previous three UFC bouts (two losses to Usman, one loss to Covington at UFC 272) and had publicly stated UFC 287 would be his final UFC bout. The Miami crowd was entirely pro-Masvidal; the emotion of the event was framed around his sendoff as much as the title fight.
Main Event: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2
Round one was Adesanya's. He used his range to control the standing exchanges, landed sustained leg kicks to Pereira's lead leg, and avoided the wild exchanges the champion needed. Pereira landed one clean overhand right at 2:30 that wobbled Adesanya briefly; the challenger recovered and finished the round on volume. The judges had it 10-9 Adesanya.
Round two ended it at 4:21. At 4:00 of the round, Adesanya landed a clean left hook that hurt Pereira against the cage. He pressed with combinations, backed the champion into the fence, and landed the right hand that dropped Pereira at 4:15. Three follow-up strikes against the downed champion brought referee Jason Herzog in at 4:21.
Israel Adesanya was the UFC middleweight champion for the second time. The MMA series leveled to 1-1; the kickboxing-into-MMA combined ledger was now 3-1 Pereira (two kickboxing wins, one UFC win each). Pereira moved up to light-heavyweight after the loss.
Co-Main Event: Burns vs. Masvidal
Round one was competitive. Masvidal pressed forward with his trademark wild punching exchanges; Burns's Brazilian jiu-jitsu and clinch work neutralised the most dangerous elements of Masvidal's game. By the end of round one, Burns had landed 32 significant strikes to Masvidal's 24.
Round two ended at 4:07. Burns landed a clean right hand at 3:30 that wobbled Masvidal against the cage, pressed with sustained combinations, and finished with a clean left hook. Referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight. Jorge Masvidal's final UFC fight was over.
In the cage immediately after, Masvidal acknowledged the crowd and announced his retirement from MMA. The Miami audience — his hometown crowd of over 19,000 — gave him a five-minute standing ovation. He retired with a 35-16 career record, the BMF title win over Ben Askren at UFC 244, and one of the most-loved career arcs in modern UFC welterweight history.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Israel Adesanya def. Alex Pereira (c) — KO (punches) — R2, 4:21 — Middleweight Title
Gilbert Burns def. Jorge Masvidal — TKO (punches) — R2, 4:07 — Welterweight (Masvidal's final UFC fight)
Kevin Holland def. Santiago Ponzinibbio — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) — Welterweight
Raul Rosas Jr. def. Christian Rodriguez — Submission (arm-triangle choke) — R2, 3:24 — Bantamweight
Jean-Baptiste Saglio def. Rogerio Bontorin — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Flyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jessica Andrade def. Erin Blanchfield — Split Decision — Women's Flyweight
Kelvin Gastelum def. Santiago Ponzinibbio — (correction: Ponzinibbio fought Holland on main card)
Julian Erosa def. Nate Landwehr — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R1, 4:49 — Featherweight
Cody Brundage def. Michal Oleksiejczuk — TKO (punches) — R3, 3:00 — Middleweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Israel Adesanya — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Alex Pereira to reclaim the middleweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Gilbert Burns — $50,000 for the second-round TKO of Jorge Masvidal.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Raul Rosas Jr. — $50,000 for the second-round arm-triangle choke submission of Christian Rodriguez (UFC 2-0).
Records & Milestones
• MMA series leveled to 1-1 between Pereira and Adesanya — the Pereira-Adesanya rivalry produced four title fights across both sports.
• Jorge Masvidal's retirement — the former BMF champion left MMA in his hometown of Miami after a 35-16 career.
• Adesanya's KO of Pereira — the first time in the rivalry that Adesanya had stopped Pereira across any combat sport.
• Pereira moved to light-heavyweight after the loss — winning the UFC 205-lb title from Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November 2023.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 287 is remembered as the night Israel Adesanya reclaimed his GOAT credentials and the night Miami said goodbye to Jorge Masvidal. The Pereira-Adesanya MMA series — 1-1 across two UFC fights, 3-1 Pereira including kickboxing — was the most-discussed cross-combat-sport rivalry of the modern era. The Masvidal retirement sendoff was one of the most emotional UFC nights of 2023.
For Adesanya, the UFC 287 win was his second UFC middleweight title reign. He defended once against Alex Volk — wait, the next defense was against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023 (UD loss). Adesanya has not held a UFC title since UFC 293.
For Alex Pereira, the KO loss confirmed that his middleweight championship window was closed. He moved up to light-heavyweight and won the UFC 205-lb title from Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November 2023 (TKO R2). He has remained the UFC light-heavyweight champion into the mid-2020s with the most active title-defense record of any UFC champion of the modern era.
For Jorge Masvidal, UFC 287 was the formal close of his UFC career. He retired with a 35-16 career record, the BMF title win over Ben Askren at UFC 244, the fastest KO in UFC history at the time (5 seconds vs. Askren), and one of the most-beloved career arcs in modern UFC welterweight history.
FAQ
Did the rematch confirm the Pereira UFC 281 win was a fluke?
Not definitively — Pereira's KO at UFC 281 was earned, not lucky; he found the opening in a fight he was losing. But the UFC 287 rematch confirmed that Adesanya's stylistic approach — range control, leg kicks, volume from the outside — was the correct counter to Pereira's forward pressure. The MMA series concluded 1-1; the honest answer is that both results were genuine.
What did Pereira do after losing the middleweight title?
He moved up to light-heavyweight immediately. He fought Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November 2023 (TKO R2 win, winning the UFC light-heavyweight title), then defended against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April 2024 (KO R1), Prochazka 2 at UFC 303 in June 2024 (KO R2), and Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 in October 2024 (TKO R4). He lost the title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March 2025.
Did Adesanya keep the middleweight title after UFC 287?
No. He lost the title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023 (UD loss) in arguably the biggest upset in middleweight division history. Strickland was a +450 underdog. Adesanya attempted to reclaim it from Strickland at UFC 305 in August 2024 (UD loss). He has not held a UFC title since UFC 293 and announced a hiatus from MMA in 2025.
What was Masvidal's legacy at retirement?
35-16 career record, the BMF title win over Ben Askren at UFC 244 (the 5-second KO, the fastest in UFC history at the time), two UFC welterweight title shots (both losses to Usman), and one of the most-loved personas in modern UFC history. His Gamebred brand, his Miami roots, and his BMF legacy made him one of the most commercially successful UFC fighters of the post-2019 era who never held a unified title.
How does UFC 287 compare to UFC 286?
UFC 287 drew approximately 700,000 PPV buys versus UFC 286 (550,000) three weeks earlier — a 150,000-buy jump driven by the Adesanya-Pereira rematch narrative and the Masvidal retirement Miami framing. The $9.1 million gate was strong for the Kaseya Center market.
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