One of the biggest nights of the year in the UFC takes place this weekend, as UFC 281 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. There is a thrilling undercard of bouts, which includes a lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier.
However, all the attention will be on the UFC Middleweight championship scrap between reigning champion Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Adesanya vs Pereira Odds
The latest odds for the UFC title showdown are live on BetXchange. At present, Israel Adesanya is favoured to successfully defend his title, as he is a 9/20 chance with the leading sportsbook. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira is available at 33/20, meaning that bettors could get $26.70 in returns from a $10 wager.
Tale of the Tape
| Israel Adesanya | Alex Pereira | |
| 33 | Age | 35 |
| 23-1 | Record | 6-1 |
| 6 ft 4 in | Height | 6 ft 4 in |
| 80 in | Reach | 79 in |
Fight Preview
There are few bigger draws in UFC at present than Israel Adesanya. The New Zealand-born Nigerian has been regarded as one of the best strikers in the UFC throughout his career, and has the esteemed record of having never been knocked down or stopped. He has excelled throughout his career both offensively and defensively, and that has seen him excel in the middleweight division.
The only defeat on his professional record was suffered in March 2021 at UFC 259, as he was beaten by unanimous decision by Jan Blachowicz for the Light Heavyweight title. Since that loss, he returned in dominant fashion to the middleweight division, and has successfully defended his title on three occasions. Two of his successful defences have come this year, with the latest coming against Jared Cannonier.
Eight of his victories have been recorded by decision, which includes his previous three. However, there is an expectation that the Nigerian could excel against an aggressive opponent such as Pereira this weekend.
Alex Pereira will be competing for just the eighth time at professional level in MMA. However, his stunning record at kickboxing makes this an unmissable bout. During that period, he produced a stunning KO victory against Adesanya, while also recording a victory by unanimous decision against the reigning champion.
Since defeat in his first professional MMA bout, Periera has won his previous six fights. The latest of those was scored earlier this year, as he dominated Sean Strickland to win by KO at UFC 276. That victory saw him pick up the Performance of the Night bonus for the second time in his UFC career.
Adesanya vs Pereira Prediction
This will be an unmissable fight in UFC, with the fact that Pereira has beaten Adesanya on two occasions making for a compelling betting angle. However, this could be the night that the Nigerian finally responds to those defeats, and we could see him doing so in emphatic fashion. We could see the reigning champion retaining his title by scoring a KO/TKO victory inside the distance.
