UFC 287 Staff Preview And Predictions
UFC 287 is the battleground for one of the biggest rivalries in recent memory, as former champion Isreal Adesanya looks to finally get a win over Alex Pereira. This card also has the pay-per-view debut of an 18-year-old phenom and a massive tilt at welterweight with major implications. The Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida will witness one of the better cards 2023 has had to offer so far, but what does the staff at Vendetta Sports Media think? I am joined by James Herrick, Anthony Miranda, and Jerry Walker. Let’s get into the UFC 287 staff preview and predictions!
Records:
- Garrett Burroughs: 29-18-2
- James Herrick: 28-19-2
- Anthony Miranda: 22-16-1
- Jerry Walker: 17-19-1
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Gonzales (Bantamweight bout)
Garrett: I am going to leave a lot of the heavy lifting to James, as we are in agreeance on every fight for UFC 287 except for this fight. Raul Rosas Jr. has taken the UFC by storm since debuting on Dana White’s Contender Series in September of last year. He had a quick turnaround, debuting with the UFC in December and finishing Jay Perrin by first-round submission. I think that Christian Rodriguez is a very good test especially early on, but I think that Rosas Jr. is on the fast track to stardom, and picking up an impressive win on pay-per-view will do him wonders. I’ll take Rosas Jr. by submission.
James: The youngest fighter on the UFC roster, Raul Rosas, is set to open the main card of UFC 287 against Christian Rodriguez. Thus far into his young career, Rosas has shown a lot of impressive skills. It is also good to know that has the strength and ability to compete at a UFC level after he won his UFC debut. With that being said, Rodriguez is a young prospect in his own right. Sure, he is only 1-1 in the UFC, but his loss came in a short notice debut against at featherweight. In his only UFC bantamweight fight he got a first-round submission win. The winner of this fight should be touted as one of the best prospects in the division.
This fight is really interesting. Rosas has displayed great BJJ thus far in his career. On top of that, he has shown really strong wrestling that allows him to get the fight on the ground. In that sense, Rosas has already begun to round out his grappling to best fit the sport of MMA. The reason this fight is interesting is that Rodriguez is a solid grappler in his own right. If Rosas can out-grapple Rodriguez that would be a massive accomplishment at this stage in his career. The only issue with Rosas is that his striking is not nearly as strong as his grappling. Rosas can be wild and chaotic on the feet, but he often leaves opponents with opportunities to land strikes. I think Rodriguez will take advantage of that and land a lot of really solid strikes.
I am leaning toward Rodriguez in this one. That is not because I think Rosas is overhyped or bad; instead, I just think Rodriguez is a bad matchup. He is one of the few guys that can grapple with Rosas, he has solid cardio, and he will land strikes while standing. I will take Rodriguez by decision.
Anthony: Roses Jr. by submission
Jerry: Rosas Jr. by submission
Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (Welterweight bout)
Garrett: No average athlete has garnered more fanfare and love than Kevin Holland. I am not sure I have ever seen the fans get behind someone who will never seriously challenge for a world title like this. To each their own. I think he is due to get back into the win column, having dropped his last two. I’ll take Holland by decision.
James: Fan favorite Kevin Holland will take on Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 287. Holland is in desperate need of a win after losing consecutive fights to Stephen Thompson and Khamzat Chimaev. At the same time, Ponzinibbio is searching for consistent success in his career. Since his return from injury in 2021, he has had mixed results. This has come in the form of knockout wins, knockout losses, and close decisions. Overall, his record is a confusing 2-3. I say confusing because he has looked great while losing close decisions, but he has also looked bad before landing a knockout finish. All in all, it has been hard to grasp his current skills.
I expect this fight to be fun, regardless of how each fighter has looked recently. Holland is the lead reason in that since he consistently gets in fun fights while displaying his personality in the cage. As far as skills go, his length, unorthodox striking, movement, and submissions make him a really tough fighter to beat. Meanwhile, Ponzinibbio should engage with Holland in the striking and look to utilize his boxing combinations, and leg kicks to win fights.
I am taking Holland in this once because of his ability to land powerful shots from unique angles. That makes him a tough fighter to beat and a tough fighter to prepare for. I do not think he wins by knockout though. Instead, I think he hurts Ponzinibbio on the feet and finishes the fight with a submission. I will take Holland by second-round submission.
Anthony: Holland via KO
Jerry: Holland via KO/TKO
No. 6 Rob Font vs. No. 12 Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight bout)
Garrett: Adrian Yanez is one of the best prospects the UFC has had in recent memory. His fight at UFC 287 with Rob Font will be his toughest test by far. Font is a journeyman in the UFC, having amassed 15 career fights. Yanez has gone 5-0 in his career so far, leaning on his very solid boxing and footwork. This fight is not likely to find its way to the ground. I expect fireworks in a fight that might finish as the fight of the night. I’ll take Yanez in an absolute war.
James: Adrian Yanez is being given a massive opportunity at UFC 287 as he takes on Rob Font. This fight will be a massive step up in competition as Yanez, one of the UFC’s top prospects, has yet to fight anyone of Font’s caliber. That step up in competition is well-deserved as Yanez has gone 5-0 in the UFC with four knockouts. Meanwhile, Font has fought some of the best fighters in the UFC bantamweight division. Albeit, that has come with mixed results as he is 9-6 in the UFC.
This fight should be a brawl as Yanez and Font each excel at boxing. Between the pair, Yanez is far more powerful. Yanez is great at landing power shots and stacking up damage before eventually finishing his opponent. Yanez is lightning-quick and pinpoint-accurate which makes it easier for him to land big punches. Meanwhile, Font throws with a ton of volume and is incredibly durable. This should make him a rough test for Yanez.
If you can’t tell, I really like Yanez and I think his striking is a level above Fonts. In this fight, I think Yanez will land a ton of big strikes before eventually finishing the fight. I will take Yanez by third-round knockout.
Anthony: Yanez by decision
Jerry: Yanez by decision
No. 5 Gilbert Burns vs. No. 11 Jorge Masvidal (Welterweight bout)
Garrett: I’d love to see Jorge Masvidal be finished in the same amount of time it took him to knock out Ben Askren. Masvidal is among the most overrated fighters in UFC history and doesn’t stand a chance in this fight. I can’t and won’t say any good things about the man. If you want more of my thoughts on this bum, click here. I hope he is a man of his word and retires with a loss. Otherwise, Dana White would be wise to just cut him. Burns via whatever way he sees fit.
James: In the co-main event of UFC 287, Jorge Masvidal will be taking on Gilbert Burns in front of his hometown of Miami, Florida. Masvidal’s career is on the line in this bout. That may sound like hyperbole, but it’s not. “Gamebred” is on a three-fight slide and his stardom has dimmed with every loss. Not to mention the fact that he has openly discussed retirement. The UFC did not bother to give Masvidal a layup in front of his hometown either. Burns is a premier talent in the welterweight division and only dropped welterweight fights against Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev. If Masvidal is not in top form, Burns will expose that.
It will be interesting to see how long Burns opts to stand and trade with Masvidal. The BJJ ace will have the grappling advantage in this fight, but he is also more than willing to strike. In this fight, Burns may run into trouble if he stays on his feet for extended periods. Masvidal is still a slick striker that can land devastating strikes. Plus, his defensive grappling is very underrated. That sentence may not make sense after his fights against Usman and Colby Covington, but not many fighters have found success against wrestlers of that caliber.
I think this prediction is easy. Burns should be able to out-grapple Masvidal. Burns does not have outstanding takedowns, but as long as he can land a few takedowns he should be able to put his BJJ to good use. Masvidal is solid at avoiding submissions so I’ll take Burns by decision.
Anthony: Masvidal by decision
Jerry: Burns via submission
(c) Alex Pereira vs. No. 1 Isreal Adesanya (UFC Middleweight Championship)
Garrett: One of the best storylines in recent UFC history comes to a head in the UFC 287 main event, as this is the last shot Isreal Adesanya will have at the Middleweight Championship, as long as Alex Pereira is champion. Can he finally pick up a win over Pereira, and if he can’t how does this change his legacy? I believe Izzy would be wise to lean into his wrestling and try and wrestle over 25 mins. I am hesitantly going to take Adesanya, but I am more leaning toward Pereira in this one just based on his wicked power. Screw it, give me Adesanya by third-round submission.
James: In the main event of UFC 287, Israel Adesanya will get another crack at Alex Pereira. The score currently sits three to zero in favor of Pereira with one win coming in MMA and the other two coming in kickboxing. On the surface, this appears to be the final time these two will fight. In that sense, the winner of this fight will get the last laugh, but more importantly, they will head home with the UFC middleweight title.
Before we discuss the skills that each fighter has, the mental aspect of this fight will be crucial. The biggest concern surrounds Adesanya and if he can overcome the mental hurdle of defeating Pereira after losing the last three bouts. At the same time, Pereira has to maintain motivation knowing that he is fighting someone that he has beaten three times.
Now, the skills at play in this bout have been well documented. Between the two, Pereira has far more power. Meanwhile, Adesanya is quicker and has better movement. From a strategic perspective, Pereira will find success if he can corral Adesanya against the fence which will minimize his movement and make it easier to land power hooks. Therefore, Adesanya needs to focus on not giving up ground and ensuring he can keep his back off the fence while moving around the power shots that Pereira will throw. If Adesanya opts to truly bend styles he will have a noticeable grappling advantage. It is hard to say if he will lean on his grappling to secure a victory, however.
I’ll predict that Adesanya can finally get on the board in this rivalry. My reasoning is that he has more ways to win. I think he could turn on the pressure and find a knockout, dial back on pressure and find a decision victory, or he could out-grapple Pereira. If I had to predict, I think Adesanya picks up the pressure and finds a finish. It certainly does not feel good to pick against Pereira’s surreal power, which is exactly why this fight is interesting. I will take Adesanya by fourth-round knockout.
Anthony: Adesanya via KO
Jerry: Pereira via KO/TKO
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