Expert picks and best bets for UFC 287 and PFL 2

Middleweight champion Alex Pereira goes for his first UFC title defense as he takes on former division champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. The event takes place at Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN+).

Pereira, tied for No. 10 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, beat Adesanya to claim the title at UFC 281 in November last year. Adesanya, ranked ahead of Pereira at No. 5, held the UFC middleweight title from April 2019 through November 2022. Including their kickboxing history, this will be the fourth matchup between these two fighters. Pereira has won each of the previous fights.

In the co-main event, Jorge Masvidal will make his first Octagon appearance of the year in his hometown against Gilbert Burns.

Masvidal, unranked by ESPN, is currently riding a three-fight losing streak. Burns, ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s divisional rankings, beat Neil Magny by first-round submission in his last fight.

On Friday night, the PFL will continue its regular season with the heavyweight and women’s featherweights as the promotion hosts PFL 2 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The main event will feature last season’s women’s lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco fighting Julia Budd. Bruno Cappelozza will fight Matheus Scheffel in the co-main event.

Marc Raimondi spoke to Fight Ready MMA coach Eddie Cha to get his perspective on the main and co-main events. ESPN’s betting experts Ian Parker and Reed Kuhn add their insights and analysis for the main event and other intriguing bets they like on the UFC 287 card. Parker also provides his take on the best bets on Friday’s PFL 2 fight card.

Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Middleweight title fight: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya

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