35 UFC stars predict Pereira vs. Adesanya 2

On April 8, the massive rematch between reigning middleweight champion Alex Pereira and former champ Israel Adesanya takes place at UFC 287.

There’s a lot of bad blood between the two rivals going into the fight. The pair has clashed twice in kickboxing and once in MMA before, with Pereira coming out as the winner every time.

Let’s take a closer look at how UFC fighters predict the outcome of the highly anticipating rematch!

Jon Jones

Pick: Pereira

Heavyweight champion Jon Jones thinks Alex Pereria will get his hand raised at UFC 287.

”I believe Pereria is going to win again,” Jones predicts. ”Some athletes just have other athletes’ numbers.”

Khamzat Chimaev

Pick: Adesanya

Top ranked welterweight Khamzat Chimaev thinks Pereira’s lack of wrestling could be a factor in the rematch.

”If Israel trains just in wrestling in his training camp, he would beat him easy,” Chimaev claims. ”That guy [Alex Pereira] has zero wrestling.”

Sean O’Malley

Pick: Adesanya

Bantamweight star Sean O’Malley thinks ”The Last Stylebender” can get revenge on ”scary” Pereira.

”I think Izzy can get the job done,” O’Malley predicits. ”In that first round, if Izzy can hit him again like that, a little bit earlier, I think he can get the job done. But if he loses again – where do you go from there?”

Alexander Volkanovski

Pick: Adesanya

Dominant featherweight Alexander Volkanovski believes in his friend Adesanya, but sees Pereira as a very dangerous opponent.

”Izzy is down 3-0 tho this guy. From what I’ve seen I still believe he’s the better fighter,” Volkanovski says.

Valentina Shevchenko

Pick: Adesanya

Former flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko thinks we will see a new champion on Saturday.

”I still think that Israel has the advantage. I thought that in their first fight and I think that right now too,” Shevchenko says.

Jamahal Hill

Pick: Adesanya

Light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill thinks a calculated Izzy will win the rematch, even though Pereira has beaten him three times in MMA and Kickboxing.

”I think I’ll take Izzy. He was winning that last fight convincingly,” Hill says.

Francis Ngannou

Pick: Adesanya

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is positive that his friend Adesanya has prepared for the tough rematch in the best possible way.

”I support him, believe in him and will always be on his side,” Ngannou says.

Cyril Gane

Pick: Adesanya

Former interim heavyweight champion Cyril Gane thinks ”The Last Stylebender” will win.

”In the first fight, he was really close to finishing the fight ,” Gane says.

Glover Teixeira

Pick: Pereira

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira is certain that his friend Alex Pereira will knock out Adesaya again.

”I see Alex finish him early,” Teixeira says.

Erin Blanchfield

Pick: Pereira

Rising flyweight star Erin Blanchfield thinks the champ gets it done.

”I’m going to go with Pereira again ,” Blanchfield says. ”It seems like he kind of has his number.”

Jiri Prochazka

Pick: Adesanya

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka is impressed with Adesanya’s striking in the first fight.

”I think he can be the champion again,” Prochazka says.

Jan Blachowicz

Pick: Pereira

Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, who defeated Adesanya back in March 2021, predicts that Alex Pereira will win at UFC 287.

”I think Alex Pereira is that guy who’s Izzy never going to beat, you know. He lost against him three times, but he was close the last time” Blachowicz says.

Derek Brunson

Pick: Adesanya

Middleweight veteran Derek Brunson thinks Adesanya will rise with the occasion and win his most important fight ever.

”Izzy, he needs this fight. Not for the title per say, but for his personal self,” Brunson reasons. ”Probably Izzy by split decision.”

Sean Strickland

Pick: Adesanya

Middleweight contender Sean Strickland got Adesanya winning the rematch on April 8.

”I think Izzy. I thought Izzy was gonna win last time,” Strickland says. ”I thought, ’Izzy’s gonna fucking dance around like a little fucking bitch and outpoint him,’ and I think he’s gonna man up and do it this fight. That’s the thing, when you’re fighting motherfuckers that have 80-something-inch reach, that’s a hard thing to do, especially when you’re trying to kickbox.”

Marvin Vettori

Pick: Pereira

Top ranked contender Marvin Vettori, who lost to Izzy twice, is sure that Pereira will get his hand raised at UFC 287.

”I think he’s got Adesanya’s number. I think he will do it again,” Vettori predicts.

Stephen ”Wonderboy” Thompson

Pick: Adesanya

Welterweight striker Stephen ”Wonderboy” Thompson thinks Adesanya will win the rematch.

”I think Izzy gots it, he’s going to get that championship back,” Thompson says.

Anthony Smith

Pick: Adesanya

Light heavyweight title challenger, and MMA expert, Anthony Smith got Adesanya.

”He’s overall the better fighter,” Smith says. ”He just got clipped.”

Curtis Blaydes

Pick: Adesanya

No. 4 ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes goes with Israel Adesanya.

”He’s a grinder, he’s going to be everything that he was,” Curtis claims.

Johnny Walker

Pick: 50/50

Brazilian light heavyweight Johnny Walker has a hard time to predict a winner in the fight.

”Both known each other for a long time,” Walker says. ”It’s going to be a tough fight for both. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Shavkat Rakhmonov

Pick: Pereira

Undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov has a hard time predicting the fight at UFC 287.

”I think Pereira is going to look even better than in the last fight,” Rakhmonov says via translator.

Dricus Du Plessis

Pick: Adesanya

Rising middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis believes Adesanya will be more motivated than he’s ever been going into a title bout.

”This fight is going to mean more to him than anything he has done in his career. I think we’re going to see the best Izzy, and I think he’s going to walk away with the victory ,” Du Plessis says.

Geoff Neal

Pick: Adesanya

Israel Adesanya will be middleweight champion again if Geoff Neal is correct.

”I think Adesanya will get his win back, or one of the wins back,” Neal predicts.

Modestas Bukauskas

Pick: Adesanya

Light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas believes in ”The Last Stylebender”, who he claims looked solid until he got clipped in the first fight.

”I think Adesanya will win the rematch ,” Bukauskas says.

Mateusz Gamrot

Pick: 50/50

Top ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot thinks it will come down to who of the rivals that has the strongest mentally.

”I don’t know. Everything is in the mind,” Gamrot reasons.

Adrian Yanez

Pick: Adesanya

No. 12 ranked bantamweight Adrian Yanez goes with his heart.

”I got mad love for Izzy,” Yanez says.

Tabatha Ricci

Pick: Pereira

Ranked Brazilian strawweight Tabatha Ricci believes in her countryman.

”Alex Pereira,” Ricci says.

Bryce Mitchell

Pick: Pereira

Featherweight Bryce Mitchell thinks that Izzy looked good in November but still picks ”Poatan” this time.

”I’m just picking Pereira because you got to pick one of them,” Mitchell says.

Jalin Turner

Pick: Adesanya

UFC lightweight Jalin Turner has been a fan of the former champion for a long time and thinks he will get it done on April 8.

”I’m going with Izzy,” Turner says. ”Before he got to the UFC I used to watch him.”

Roman Dolidze

Pick: Adesanya

No 9. ranked middleweight contender Roman Dolidze thinks it could go either way.

”Probably 50/50 but still I think that Izzy can win,” Dolidze says.

Jasmine Jasudavicius

Pick: Adesanya

UFC flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius predicts that Adesanya will be champ once again.

”I think Adesanya will take it,” Jasudavicius says.

Alex Hernandez

Pick: Adesanya

Lightweight Alex Hernandez thinks Izzy will retake his throne come Saturday.

”I’m hoping Adesanya,” Hernandez says.

Bryan Barberena

Pick: Adesanya

Welterweight Bryan Barberena thinks Izzy will be back in the win column after UFC 287.

”I think Adesanya, maybe, comes back and gets it for himself and finally gets that win against him ,” Barberena says.

Jonathan Martinez

Pick: Adesanya

Bantamweight Jonathan Martinez has no doubt of who will get his hands raised at UFC 287.

”Adesanya,” Martinez says.

Cynthia Calvillo

Pick: Adesanya

Cynthia Calvillo thinks a smart ”Stylebender” will get the job done.

”I think he’s going to figure it out,” Calvillo says. ”The last fight, he was pretty much winning the entire fight.”

Julian Marquez

Pick: Pereira

Middleweight Julian Marquez thinks the Brazilian champion is the kryptonite for ”The Last Stylebender.”

”I think that Pereria has Israel’s number,” Marquez says. ”Pereria is a heavyweight that cuts all the way down to middleweight somehow and makes it.”

This is Alex Pereira

• Age: 35
• Record: 7-1
• UFC record: 4-0
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Height: 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
• Reach: 79 in (200 cm)
• Post-fight bonuses: 3

This is Israel Adesanya

• Age:
• Record: 23-2
• UFC record: 12-2
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
• Reach: 80 in (203 cm)
• Post-fight bonuses: 7

UFC 287 fight card

Main card

• Middleweight title bout: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya
• Welterweight bout: Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
• Bantamweight bout: Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
• Welterweight bout: Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Bantamweight bout: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez

Preliminary card

• Middleweight bout: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis
• Welterweight bout: Michael Chiesa vs. TBA
• Women’s strawweight bout: Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro
• Heavyweight bout: Chase Sherman vs. Karl Williams

Early prelims

• Middleweight bout: Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joseph Pyfer
• Women’s strawweight bout: Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
• Catchweight bout (160 lbs): Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden
• Featherweight bout: Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia
• Women’s strawweight bout: Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes

*Bout order and number of fights can change.

Read more: UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 – Fight Card, Start time & How to Watch

---

Follow Frontkick on Instagram for the latest UFC news!