Author: Dan Hiergesell

Drake is once again testing his luck at mixed martial arts (MMA) betting with four massive wagers later tonight (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida. This time around the millionaire rapper is banking on Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal getting it done atop the marquee.

Tonight’s event will feature the return of Jorge Masvidal on Miami soil, but the PPV card was built around Adesanya’s anticipated rematch against UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira. The two middleweights have a history dating back to their days in kickboxing, but their first MMA matchup occurred five months ago at UFC 281 in New York City. It was a fight that “Last Stylebender” was winning, but Pereira ultimately pulled out the comeback win and secured a late fifth-round TKO.

Ahead of their rematch later this evening at UFC 287, fight fans are unsure who has the edge. Pereira is 3-0 lifetime against Adesanya, but Izzy was handily winning the fight last time around before making a crucial error. Drake, along with many other UFC gamblers, are hoping that Adesanya can keep things in check and regain his 185-pound title tonight in Miami.

Late Friday night, Drake shared his newest UFC wager via Instagram. The rapper is putting all of his chips on Adesanya beating Pereira. Drake has put up a total of $900,000 on Adesanya to win and win by knockout. It’s a steep bet to make, especially considering Drake lost big money on Adesanya in his first UFC matchup with Pereira.

In addition, Drake is betting a total of $500,000 on Masvidal to take care of business against fellow welterweight contender Gilbert Burns in the co-main event. Masvidal is riding a three-fight losing streak and has already stated that this could be his final MMA fight, but Drake is hoping “Gamebred” pulls out the win and earns a big knockout along the way.

Between four total bets, Drake can end of walking away with nearly $6 million in winnings. Check out the wager slips below:

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

It all goes down later tonight (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla., as Alex Pereira defends his UFC middleweight title in a rematch against former champion, Israel Adesanya. The co-main event of the evening will feature a welterweight match between top contenders Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.

In addition to the two marquee bouts, UFC 287 will feature the PPV debut of bantamweight knockout artist Adrian Yanez, the second Octagon appearance for 18-year-old prospect Raul Rosas Jr., and a welterweight clash between Kevin Holland and veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio. Not to mention a “Prelims” affair involving middleweights Kelvin Gastelum and Chris Curtis.

Take a look below at UFC 287’s complete fight card line up and start times:

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya
Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN/ESPN+)
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis
Michelle Waterson vs .Luana Pinheiro
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman

Early ‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden
Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia
Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes

Online

• UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” PPV main card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $6.99 per month. The UFC 287 PPV will cost $79.99 for current subscribers.
• UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN+ as well.

Television

• UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN. Check your local providers or click HERE for instant access to ESPN.
• UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” can also be streamed via Xbox One, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and ChromeCast.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” PPV main card and undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN+ streaming app through Google Play and iTunes stores.

Bars

• Stay home, be safe. But, if you really, really need to go out and watch UFC 287 there is a list of bars near you airing “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” right here.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

Fight fans weren’t sure what to make of two separate altercations between Kevin Holland and Jorge Masvidal this week leading up to UFC 287 later tonight (Sat., April 8, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla., but “Trailblazer” was kind enough to detail their feud in an interview Friday night.

Earlier this week, Holland and Masvidal first made headlines with an altercation in a hotel lobby. Security and team members were on the scene so it was more a chest-puffing match than anything, but the entire thing caught the mixed martial arts (MMA) community off guard. Holland does talk a lot and is no stranger to pre-fight melees, but nobody knew of any real beef between the two teams.

On Friday morning, Holland and Masvidal reportedly got into it again outside of UFC 287’s official weigh ins (watch HERE). Holland apparently provoked Masvidal into a fit of rage that saw “Gamebred” pacing outside on the street for minutes. Once again, fight fans were confused.

Luckily, Holland was able to shed some light on the situation during an interview with The Schmo following UFC 287’s ceremonial weigh ins (results HERE). According to “Trailblazer,” their feud dates back to his last trip to Florida at a random MMA event.

“I guess a while back when I fought in Florida I was fighting Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Somehow, someway, somebody said I was going to the event to cause problems,” explained Holland. “I was really going to the event to see a honey I was talking to at the time. Just really chill with her because she couldn’t make it to my dinner. Somehow, someway, it turned out to be another story. I don’t really give a f—k.

“Now all of a sudden dude’s got feelings. So when I seen him I said, ‘What’s up, baby girl?’ Next thing you know he started Pmsing. I don’t really think it’s that special of a story to keep underneath the rug or maybe they’re just trying to use it for another time, but shit you’re my man so now you know.”

There you have it. Not the biggest news of the week, but at least fight fans have some context to all of these incidents involving Masvidal and Holland. Luckily, both fighters compete in the UFC’s welterweight division so they could book a matchup next if they really want to settle this beef.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

Gilbert Burns pulled out all the stops for his co-main event clash with Jorge Masvidal later tonight (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla., and that includes hiring scouts to pick his own game apart and show him his flaws.

Burns, who is coming off an impressive win over Neil Magny this past January, is hoping to parlay a victory over “Gamebred” at UFC 287 into his second welterweight title shot. Masvidal has been struggling of late, but Burns will certainly have his work cut out for him. After all, Masvidal is fighting in his own backyard and seems more dedicated to this fight than most of his other recent bouts.

In order to give himself the best chance possible to win Burns has once again called upon the expertise of MMA scout and striking coach, Daniel Mendes.

“He sends me a lot of numbers, especially for a guy like Masvidal who has 51 fights. There’s a lot of tape for him to watch,” Burns said. “There are many habits he won’t change. He can get better here or there, he can change something here, but he won’t change everything completely overnight, so you can see his tendencies.

“You can see how he defends takedowns. Demian [Maia] took him down this way, Colby [Covington] took him down that way, Kamaru [Usman] took him down like this. But those three guys are on another level. Most people tried and couldn’t take him down. Michael Chiesa shot well for a takedown but ended up on bottom and got submitted. It’s good to have those numbers and those tendencies, you know? Like, ‘He does this well, so I won’t waste any energy there.’ That helps in the strategy.”

Burns utilized Mendes for his fight against Magny earlier this year and the result speaks for itself. “Durinho” more or less dominated Magny en route to a first-round submission finish. It proves that Mendes’ work is paying off, but Burns acknowledges his methods aren’t for everyone. Most fighters wouldn’t be able to check their ego at the door in order to have an outsider tell them what’s wrong with their performances, and then positively build off of that.

“We’re working on changing that because I have many tendencies as well,” Burns said, laughing. “Daniel really does great scouting, and I was shocked. I did so many things wrong. He has a study of the Neil Magny fight and I did five things wrong during that fight, before we went to the ground. I didn’t notice that — and we only strayed on the feet for a minute and a half.”

“I liked this evolution, it makes you know yourself and change bad habits to get better, but it’s not for everyone,” he continued. “Some people don’t have their ego under control for that, instead of saying, ‘Wow, I’m doing all that [wrong]? I’ll start working now.’ Daniel did that with me, and there’s the pre-Khamzat and post-Khamzat ‘Durinho,’ and people will start to feel the difference now in terms of defense and movement now.”

With all of his preparation in check Burns is hoping to turn in a memorable performance against Masvidal at UFC 287. The veteran contender knows “Gamebred” isn’t a walk in the park, but Burns believes his grappling and late-round striking will ultimately prevail.

“I think the best path is taking him down and working on ground-and-pound and submissions,” he said, “but knowing he has good takedown defense, I’ve worked on some attacks. And there’s plan B. In case he survives, he will be tired and his reflexes his diminish. If I can’t execute what I want, that will mean he’s done a great job, and doing that great job takes a toll on you. Second and third rounds, I think I’ll see a lot of openings on the feet, the fight becomes less dangerous [on the feet].”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland reportedly found themselves in another altercation Friday morning in advance to UFC 287 this Saturday night (Sat., April 8, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida.

Earlier this week, “Gamebred” and “Trailblazer” had to be separated during an altercation in a hotel lobby. The two fighters were screaming at one another as security and team members stepped in. Luckily, things didn’t escalate because Masvidal and Holland are two of the biggest names on Saturday’s card in Miami.

On Friday morning, Masvidal and Holland reportedly crossed paths again outside of the official weigh ins (results HERE). Holland’s manager, Oren Hodak, informed TMZ that Holland told Masvidal, “Sup, baby girl” — which apparently enraged “Gamebred.” Hodak also revealed those are the words that caused the two fighters to initially get into it earlier this week at the hotel.

Luckily, TMZ was able to obtain video footage from Friday morning that shows Masvidal being held back in rage. If it was indeed Holland who caused this scene again then he’s out of camera. Check it out below:

If you’re a Masvidal fan this is a little concerning considering “Gamebred” is entering one of the most important fights of his career. The veteran contender has lost his last three trips to the Octagon so a fourth this weekend against Gilbert Burns would be devastating. Not to mention Masvidal is fighting in front of his hometown of Miami for the first time in a very long time.

The pressure is on. We’ll see if these pre-fight distractions are in fact distractions when “Gamebred” takes centerstage on Saturday night.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

Fight fans rarely see the jovial side of UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira, but the Brazilian knockout artist actually cracked a smile earlier this week courtesy of long-time training partner and former UFC light heavyweight champion, Glover Teixeira.

Pereira, who made his UFC debut less than two years ago, in entering his first official middleweight title defense tomorrow night (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida. “Poaton” will meet former titleholder Israel Adesanya in a rematch for the undisputed 185-pound crown.

As usual, Pereira is all business entering his fifth appearance inside of the Octagon. The former two-division GLORY champion is known for his stone cold demeanor ahead of fights, but Pereira has been a little extra-dialed in this week ahead of his grudge match with “Last Stylebender.”

Luckily, Teixeira has been by Pereira’s side trying to lighten the mood along the way. Teixeira has been friends and training partners with “Poaton” for quite some time and has watched his UFC rise firsthand. During a recent makeup session backstage, Teixeira surprised Pereira by taking over artistic duties and doing a little brush work.

Check it out below courtesy of UFC:

You can count Pereira’s fight week smiles on one hand so be thankful this one was caught on camera. The reigning UFC middleweight champion will look to keep his focus this weekend in Miami and he tries to put an end to his rivalry with Adesanya and prove he’s a champion that can last at 185 pounds.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.