Tag: Alex Pereira

UFC 281 video: Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira share a final intense staredown ahead of title fight

Check out the UFC 281 ceremonial weigh-ins final faceoff between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira in New York.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] had their final pre-fight meeting at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of their UFC 281 main event title fight.

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) will put his middleweight title on the line Saturday against Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in a rematch – but it will be the first time the two will meet in MMA. Pereira holds two kickboxing wins over Adesanya, including a knockout.

Watch the video above to see the UFC 281 ceremonial weigh-in faceoff between Adesanya and Pereira.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Behind the scenes atop the Empire State Building

In the fifth episode of “Embedded” ahead of UFC 281 in New York, go behind the scenes at the press conference and a special photo shoot.

The UFC is back with its latest pay-per-view and a return to New York, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

The main event is a middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). They have met twice before – but in kickboxing. Pereira has a pair of wins over Adesanya in those bouts.

The co-main event is a women’s strawweight title fight between champ [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and former titleholder [autotag]Zhang Weil[/autotag]i (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). In addition, [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) in a key lightweight bout, and former lightweight champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) fights in what likely will be his final bout when he meets [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) at bantamweight.

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champs Israel Adesanya and Carla Esparza join their opponents at the UFC 281 presser; Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier face off. Zhang Weili and Frankie Edgar train for their next chapters. Izzy and Alex Pereira pose at a landmark.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 predictions: Who are we picking in the two title fights in New York?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 281 main card, featuring Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira and Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili.

Adesanya
vs.
Pereira		 Esparza
vs.
Weili		 Chandler
vs.
Poirier		 Edgar
vs.
Gutierrez		 Hooker
vs.
Puelles
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
176-105		 adesanya2022
Adesanya
(51%)		 weili2022
Weili
(86%)		 poirier2022
Poirier
(69%)		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez
(64%)		 hooker2022
Hooker
(55%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
187-99
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 poirier2022
Poirier		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 puelles2022
Puelles
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
180-106		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 esparza2022
Esparza		 poirier2022
Poirier		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 puelles2022
Puelles
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
179-107		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 poirier2022
Poirier		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 puelles2022
Puelles
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
176-110		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 poirier2022
Poirier		 edgar2022
Edgar		 hooker2022
Hooker
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
175-111
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 poirier2022
Poirier		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 puelles2022
Puelles
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
173-113		 pereira2022
Pereira		 weili2022
Weili		 chandler2022
Chandler		 edgar2022
Edgar		 hooker2022
Hooker
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
173-113		 pereira2022
Pereira		 esparza2022
Esparza		 poirier2022
Poirier		 edgar2022
Edgar		 puelles2022
Puelles
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
167-119
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 chandler2022
Chandler		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 puelles2022
Puelles
Nolan King
@mma_kings
166-120		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 poirier2022
Poirier		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 hooker2022
Hooker
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
157-129		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 esparza2022
Esparza		 chandler2022
Chandler		 edgar2022
Edgar		 puelles2022
Puelles
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
140-146		 adesanya2022
Adesanya		 weili2022
Weili		 chandler2022
Chandler		 gutierrez2022
Gutierrez		 puelles2022
Puelles

The UFC is back in the “Big Apple” with a pair of title fights at the top of the bill.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who holds two wins over him in kickboxing. Adesanya is a -220 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Pereira is +170. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers largely are sticking with the champ at a big 9-2 clip.

In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) defends the title for the first time in her second stint as champion when she meets former titleholder [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Weili is the biggest favorite on the main card at 4-1 and has a big 8-3 picks lead.

Also on the main card, former Bellator lightweight champ [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets former UFC interim champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC). Poirier is more than a 2-1 favorite at the betting window and has a 7-4 edge in the picks.

Former lightweight champ [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) will fight for what is likely to be the final time when he takes on [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) at bantamweight. Gutierrez is a -230 favorite and has a 7-4 picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (21-12 MMA, 11-8 UFC) takes on [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at lightweight. Hooker is the favorite at -165, but Puelles is bucking the betting trend and has a big 8-3 lead from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Adesanya (51 percent), Weili (86 percent), Poirier (6z9 percent), Gutierrez (64 percent) and Hooker (55 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 214.

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UFC 281 video: Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira make weight for title-fight headliner

The highly anticipated UFC 281 main event between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is official after both men made weight Friday.

NEW YORK – The highly anticipated UFC 281 main event between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is official after both men made weight Friday.

The last major piece of fight week business for Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is in the books after both men stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel. Madison Square Garden hosts Saturday’s event, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

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Champion Adesanya came to the scale early in the two-hour window. He weighed in at 185 pounds on the nose. Challenger Pereira came to the scale with just about six minutes left in the session. He used the screen to weigh in without clothes and was 184.6 to make the fight official. Watch the video above to see Adesanya and Pereira make weight for the UFC 281 headliner.

Adesanya, who is No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings and No. 1 on the pound-for-pound list, as well, will attempt to avenge a pair of kickboxing losses to No. 6-ranked middleweight Pereira when they meet at UFC 281. Pereira won the first kickboxing fight on the scorecards, then won their rematch by knockout. Now they’ll cross paths again in a different sport.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira avoids issue in dramatic fashion; two others miss weight

Check out results from the official UFC 281 weigh-ins in New York, where Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira made weight with a little drama.

NEW YORK – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting from Friday’s official UFC 281 fighter weigh-ins, where two fighters missed their marks.

In the main event, middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) takes on challenger and former kickboxing opponent [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Adesanya was among the initial burst of fighters to weigh in, but Pereira needed until the final minutes of the two-hour window. With five minutes left, Pereira made weight inside the weigh-in box UFC fighters use to strip down for some extra help on the scale.

Women’s strawweight chcamp [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and former titleholder Zhang Weili (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who meet in the co-feature made weight without issue. In addition, [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC), and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) successfully hit their marks ahead of a key lightweight fight.

Preliminary card fighters [autotag]Mike Trizano[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) missed weight, however. Their fights against [autotag]Seung Woo Choi[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), respectively, will proceed. Trizano and Spann each will forfeit 20 percent of their purses to their opponents.

Former lightweight champ [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC), who fights in what likely will be his retirement fight at banamweight against [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC), made weight again, which made it 30-for-30 in his UFC tenure.

The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in New York and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 4 p.m. ET at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The nearby Madison Square Garden hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

The full UFC 281 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Israel Adesanya (185) vs. Alex Pereira (184.6) – for middleweight title
  • Champ Carla Esparza (114.8) vs. Zhang Weili (114.8) – for women’s strawweight title
  • Michael Chandler (155.8) vs. Dustin Poirier (156)
  • Frankie Edgar (135.6) vs. Chris Gutierrez (136)
  • Dan Hooker (155.8) vs. Claudio Puelles (155.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Renato Moicano (155.8) vs. Brad Riddell (155.6)
  • Dominick Reyes (205.4) vs. Ryan Spann (206.6)*
  • Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Molly McCann (125.4)
  • Andre Petroski (185.8) vs. Wellington Turman (185.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Ottman Azaitar (155.6) vs. Matt Frevola (154.8)
  • Silvana Gomez Juarez (115.6) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (115.6)
  • Seungwoo Choi (145.6) vs. Michael Trizano (147.6)**
  • Julio Arce (135.8) vs. Montel Jackson (135.8)
  • Nicolae Negumereanu (206) vs. Carlos Ulberg (205.2)

*Spann missed weight by 0.6 pounds and will be fined 20 percent of his fight purse.
**Trizano missed weight by 1.6 pounds and will be fined 20 percent of his fight purse.

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Through common lenses: Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira’s mutual opponents preview UFC 281 headliner

The four men who fought both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira in kickboxing explain why they’re so difficult – and give their predictions.

Regardless of what happens Saturday at UFC 281, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] will forever be linked.

Former two-time kickboxing opponents, Adesanya and Pereira are on the verge of a quasi-trilogy bout under a different rule set. Their kickboxing matches, both won by Pereira, seem like they took place during a different lifetime on an alternate planet.

While so much has changed, a lot has remained the same. Adesanya and Pereira still rely heavily on the discipline that got them to the big dance, a UFC middleweight title fight at Madison Square Garden. They’re mixed martial artists now, but still kickboxers.

Adesanya and Pereira have that direct linkage already, but the web extends beyond. Four men shared the ring with both during their kickboxing days. They know what it truly feels like to be kicked, punched and even sometimes knocked out by the fighters on the UFC 281 marquee.

Eugene Bareman: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira ‘will probably just be a standup battle’ with no grappling

Eugene Bareman doesn’t see grappling playing a factor in the Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira main event title fight at UFC 281 in New York.

Eugene Bareman doesn’t see grappling playing a factor in [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s fight against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC), Bareman’s star student, puts his middleweight title on the line against Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 281 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Both men come from a decorated kickboxing background. However, because Adesanya is the far more experienced MMA fighter, many wonder if he’ll decide to mix things up. Adesanya said at Wednesday’s media day he thinks Pereira may shoot for takedowns, but City Kickboxing head coach Bareman sees their fight playing out on the feet.

“The benefit of being so far ahead of the rest of the field in a particular skill set is you can concentrate your effort on another really narrow skill set,” Bareman told Submission Radio. “And what I’m meaning is, when Israel got into UFC, he was so good at standup. He could divert a lot of his time into his wall defense and wrestling defense because he already was very, very good at standup. Well, Alex essentially has the same issue. It’s not really an issue – it’s a positive thing, right? Alex is so far ahead of everybody else in this field at standup, he can concentrate all his efforts on things like takedown defense and wall defense and all of that.

“So you get this massive concentrated in effort that your other opponents aren’t able to do because they’ve got to spread their time more evenly. What it means is you become very good at one thing. So I just think that is the benefit of these elite, elite strikers coming into MMA, is that they can concentrate the effort on takedown defense. So I don’t think Israel’s going to have an easy time taking Pereira down, nor do I think if Pereira decides to switch the game plan – which would be smart from a standup battle to a takedown – nor do I think Pereira is going to have a very easy time getting Israel down. So the way I see it is, I think this will probably just be a standup battle.”

The narrative of the fight is that Pereira holds two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing which has helped fast track him to a title shot. Although Bareman thought Adesanya did well in both fights, he didn’t factor that in in their preparation.

“The first fight was close, but we felt Israel won that fight and was doing it relatively comfortably,” Bareman said. “And the second fight, he was winning very easily (until he got knocked out). We have to erase that, because the last thing that we can do is look at those fights and be like, ‘Wow – we were beating him relatively easy last time, so what do we have to do this time?’ But the fact of the matter is that those fights were a very long time ago.

“So what we’ve concentrated on is what improvements Alex has made since those two fights. And throughout our analysis, we’ve seen a lot of improvements since then. So when we put together this fight, we are completely erasing those fights – not because of Israel lost, because Israel dominated those fights. That’s why we have to erase them. And we have to account for the massive amount of improvement that Alex Pereira has made since those fights, and that’s what we’re basing everything on.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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Photos: Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira face off atop Empire State Building ahead of UFC 281

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira faced off atop the Empire State Building in New York ahead of UFC 281.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] facing off on the roof of the Empire State Building ahead of their UFC 281 main event middleweight title bout. (Photos courtesy of UFC, Getty Images)

UFC 281 video: Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira face off on top of Empire State Building

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira took UFC 281 fight week to the next level with this faceoff in New York.

NEW YORK – The build to Saturday’s UFC 281 headliner between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] added another unique layer with a faceoff between the pair at the Empire State Building.

After engaging in their first fight week staredown at the pre-fight press conference, Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) took it to the next level Thursday when they traveled to the top of one of Manhattan’s most iconic landmarks and locked eyes.

It was a special scene ahead of the main event clash, which will see Adesanya put middleweight gold on the line against Pereira at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

You can watch their faceoff in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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UFC 281 breakdown: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira could be ‘a slow and technical affair.’ Who’s the pick?

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 281 main event between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC 281.

UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.