UFC 287 was a completely stacked fight card with many famous contenders. The main card was made up of five fights. Alex Pereira vs Isreal Adasanya, Gilbert burns vs Jorge Masvidal, Rob Font vs Adrian Yanez, Kevin Holland vs Santiago Ponzinbbio, and Raul Rosas Jr vs Christian Rodriguez. All the fights took place in three different weight classes, Bantamweight, Welterweight, and Middleweight. 

The first fight was Raul Rosas Jr vs Christian Rodriguez. This was a three round bout that took place in the bantamweight division with many fans going for Rosas. 

Rosas is the youngest fighter in UFC history being signed at only the age of 17 in 2022. Many fans also went for Rosas because he has shown average striking ability and excellent grappling. On the other hand many fans were going against Rodriguez because during the weigh in, Rodriguez missed weight by one pound.

 Which in the UFC is a huge problem because that could pose an advantage or disadvantage for a fighter. But during the fight Rodriguez showed he was able to keep up with and even surpass Rosas. Out grappling him and using his superior striking to win the fight by unanimous decision. 

The second fight was Kevin Holland vs Santiago Ponzinbbio. This was also a three round bout that took place in the welterweight division. 

During the fight many fans were going for Pozinbbio. He was a veteran in the sport being well experienced, but age was catching up to him and it showed during the fight. The fight was purely striking and Holland had his number winning by TKO (Technical Knouckout). Holland used his greater reach and better striking to be able to shoot from afar and keep Ponzinbbio at bay. Holland finished Ponzinbbio in the middle of the third round with a left hook that put Pozinbbio on the matt, forcing the referee Dan Miragliotta to step in. Pozinbbio tried to tell the referee he was fine but the fight had an early stoppage. 

The third fight was between Rob Font and Adrian Yanez. This was another three round bout that was the second bantamweight fight of the night. This was the shortest fight of the night, ending in the first round by knockout. Font, being the more experienced fighter was able to make quick work of Yanez. Putting him down with a right uppercut to the jaw, which knocked Yanez to the floor. Font seeing this moment to end the fight, finished him with ground and pound forcing the referee to step in and call the fight. 

The forth fight on the card and the co-main event of the night was Jorge Masvidal vs Gilbert Burns.

This was another three round bout that had two of the best welterweights on the planet going toe to toe. Many fans were going for Gilbert Burns because he has had many good performances lately. Being able to give the champion at the time Kamaru Usman a run for his money, giving Khamzat Chemieav the hardest fight in his career so far and both of the them earning the fight of the year award’s. 

Burns also had a dominant performance over Tyron Woodly. In contrast, many fans also were going for Jorge Masvidal, being a seasoned veteran in the sport and having years of experience, while also being one of the biggest UFC superstars at one point. Known for his famous trash talking and rivalries against some of the sport’s other big names– Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

 Also well known for having the fastest knockout in UFC history. Knocking out Ben Askren in the first round in just five seconds with a flying knee. But the fight itself was fairly underwhelming both guys had the moments and mostly burns was pushing the pace. Burns wanted to take down Masvidal a couple times but Masvidal  was able to deny most takedown attempts and keep the fight standing for the most part. Even then burns was able to outstrike Masvidal on the fight. 

The bout went all three rounds with Gilbert Burns winning by decision on all three scorecards. But the most shocking part of the night was how Jorge Masvidal announced his retirement. Being 38 years old Masvidal was approaching the age where many fighters either retire or suffer a hard downfall. Many fans were sad to see him go but many fans also knew that his time as an active fighter was coming to an end. 

The final fight and the fight fans were anticipating the most was Alex Pereira vs Isreal Adasanya. This was a five-round bout that would determine who was gonna be the champion of the middleweight division. 

Going into the fight both men had a lot of bad blood between them due to their past encounters. Both men had fought each other three times prior with Pereira winning all three times. The first and second time they fought was not in the UFC but in a kickboxing promotion called Glory Kickboxing. 

The first time they fought it was a split decision that had Pereira up on the score-cards ultimately giving him the victory. The second time they fought, it was in the same promotion. But unlike the first fight, this fight had Adasanya pushing the pace and being the aggressor trying to land heavy shots on Pereira. But Pereira was able to land a devastating left hook that was able to knock out Adasanya clean. After that fight Adasanya moved to the UFC while Pereira would stay in kickboxing a little while longer before making his own transition to MMA. During this second fight is when a lot of the bad blood between them occured because Pereira while celebrating, yelled in Adasanya’s face while he was on the floor. 

In addition Pereira’s son mocked Adesanya by mimicking how he fell when he got knocked out in front of him. Adasanya moved to the UFC in December of 2017, while Pereira signed his contract in 2021. Even though he was only four fights in the UFC he was able to get a title shot against Adasanya, which was the fastest title shot opportunity in UFC history

Against all odds Pereira was able to win against Adasanya. Being able to land a huge shot in the last round which forced the referee to step in. Adasanya and many fans alike thought it was an early stoppage but both men were set up for an immediate rematch. But during UFC 287, thier most recent fight many fans thought it was just gonna be another case of Pereira winning. But many fans were left speechless. The fight started off normal with both men feeling eachother out in the first round, and neither didn’t really out strike the other. But during the second round Adasanya landed a perfect right hand that sent Pereira straight to the matt. Which Adasanya finished with a hammer fist. 

During Adasanya’s celebration he also had his payback, yelling in Pereira’s face and seeking out his son. Mocking Pereira’s son by mimicking how his dad got knocked out. 

Finally, by the end of the night Adasanya was able to walk away as the new middleweight champion of the world.