- Early betting action for Pereira vs Adesanya 2 is split with 53% of the money in favor of the Stylebender and 59% of the bets on Poatan.
- Jorge Masvidal, the biggest underdog in the main card at +325 odds, has 82% of the bets against Gilbert Burns (-425).
- BetOnline bettors are picking Santiago Ponzinibbio +200 to pull off the upset against Kevin Holland (-235) with 58% of the money and 64% of the tickets.
The rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya is shaping up to be an even contest. Well, at least that’s what the bettors are saying.
According to online sportsbook BetOnline, neither fighter has a significant edge as far as betting slips and betting handle are concerned.
Early UFC 287 action has the former champion Adesanya with the slight edge in betting money at 53%. Meanwhile, the current champion Pereira has 59% of the total betting tickets written for Saturday’s main event.
The difference in both tickets and money is the closest among all UFC 287 main card bouts.
Intense Rivalry Continues
Saturday’s bout will mark the 4th time that these two combat sports superstars will meet inside the ring or cage. Pereira defeated Adesanya twice when the two were kickboxers at the Glory promotion.
Poatan won their first bout at Glory Heroes 1 in 2016 via unanimous decision. Three fights later, the Brazilian knocked out Adesanya at Glory Heroes 7.
Pereira would eventually follow Adesanya to the UFC. After earning a shot at the middleweight title held by his kickboxing rival, they would face off for the third time at UFC 281.
Poatan entered that bout as a betting underdog in the price range of +175 to +260, depending on which sportsbook you were looking at. He was also down 39-37 across the three judges’ scorecards entering the final round when the inevitable happened.
An intense rivalry continues between Pereira and Adesanya 🍿 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/bH2RLTcUuD
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 6, 2023
Adesanya closed as the -205 betting favorite at BetOnline and he saw his odds balloon to -1200 with one round left in the fight. But he made a tactical blunder by foolishly trading with Pereira when all he had to do was coast to keep his belt.
Pereira caught Adesanya with his patented left hook, hurt him, and then finished off his rival with a sensational KO win.
UFC President Dana White awarded Adesanya an immediate rematch and the former champion opened as the -150 favorite to reclaim his belt, with Pereira coming back as the +130 underdog.
Those odds have tightened with two days left before the fight. BetOnline had Adesanya down to -135 and Pereira up to +115 on Wednesday. Just one day later, the Stylebender is now at -130 odds and Poatan at +110.
The 305 Loves its Hometown Hero
UFC 287’s co-main event pits two of the most popular welterweights in the promotion with No. 5 Gilbert Burns taking on No. 11 Jorge Masvidal.
Both fighters have been struggling as of late with Burns going just 2-2 in his last four bouts and Masvidal just 3-5 in his last 8 fights, including losses in his last three appearances.
During that stretch, both fighters challenged for the UFC welterweight belt but were beaten by former champion Kamaru Usman.
Masvidal fought Usman twice during that period, losing via unanimous decision at UFC 251 in Fight Island and getting knocked out at UFC 261. Meanwhile, Burns also suffered a TKO loss to Usman in between the two Masvidal bouts.
"305! 305! 305!"
Hometown hero Jorge Masvidal got a raucous reception from the Miami crowd during his first #UFC287 faceoff with Gilbert Burns. pic.twitter.com/stDVoCnrWV
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 6, 2023
For this bout, Burns opened as the heavy -500 betting favorite to win with Masvidal hitting the betting boards at +400 odds. Those odds moved to -450 for Durinho and +350 for Gamebred when the event hit fight week. As of Friday morning, Burns is listed at -425 at BetOnline with Masvidal at +325.
Early betting action from BetOnline has Burns holding a majority of the dollars for this bout with 73%. Meanwhile, Masvidal has 82% of the total betting tickets written for this contest. Both percentages are the highest among all UFC 287 main card fighters.
Betting Numbers Also Split for Adrian Yanez vs Rob Font
Similar to the headliner and co-headliners, the middle bout of the UFC 287 main card also has its betting numbers split between the two combatants, with more dollars flowing for one fighter and more betting tickets issued in favor of the other combatant.
Per BetOnline, Adrian Yanez at -180 odds has 69% of the total betting handle for the bout. Meanwhile, underdog Rob Font, who is listed at +155 odds, has 54% of the total betting slips issued.
No. 6 ranked bantamweight Font looked to be on the verge of a title shot when he lost back-to-back fights against Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera during his last two assignments. Not only is Font looking to end his first-ever career losing skid but he wants to get back in the title hunt against a dangerous opponent.
No. 12 Adrian Yanez has won his first five UFC assignments, including 4 by stoppage. The 29-year-old has won nine consecutive bouts and has not been beaten since losing to Miles John when he challenged for the LFA bantamweight title at LFA 55 in 2018. Yanez has won a performance bonus in each of his first five wins.
BetOnline Bettors Picking Ponzinibbio and Raul Rosas Jr.
On the other hand, bettors at BetOnline are unanimous with their picks for the curtain raiser bouts of UFC 287. First up, Santiago Ponzinibbio has the nod against Kevin Holland with 58% of the total money wagered and 64% of the bets written for the fight.
Ponzinibbio snapped a two-fight losing streak by knocking out Alex Morono in his last bout while Holland is just 2-4 with one no-contest in his last seven UFC assignments.
Interestingly, Holland is the current -235 betting favorite to win the bout with Ponzinnibio currently priced at +200 odds.
The UFC 287 curtain raiser features newcomer Raul Rosas Jr. who will take on Christian Rodriguez in a three-round bantamweight feature. Rosas became the youngest fighter ever signed by the UFC at 17 years old following a successful stint in the Contender Series.
He will take on fellow DWCS alumnus Christian Rodriguez who is 1-1 inside the UFC Octagon.
According to BetOnline figures, punters are favoring Rosas to win his second straight UFC bout. Currently listed as the -240 betting favorite to win the bout, Rosas has 63% of the total betting handle, the third-highest in the main card.
The 18-year-old Mexican also owns 64% of the total betting tickets, second-most among the main card fighters.
