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Check out what the UFC 287 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
MIAMI – UFC 287 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from Kaseya Center in Miami.
You can hear from all the UFC 287 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
Check out our staff members’ UFC 287 main card picks, featuring Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 and Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal.
| Pereira vs. Adesanya |
Burns vs. Masvidal |
Font vs. Yanez |
Holland vs. Ponzinibbio |
Rodriguez vs. Rosas |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 41-28 |
 Pereira (61%) |
 Burns (80%) |
 Yanez (67%) |
 Holland (70%) |
 Rosas (84%) |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 44-25 |
 Adesanya |
 Masvidal |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 43-26 |
Adesanya |
Burns |
Yanez |
 Ponzinibbio |
Rosas |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 42-27 |
Pereira |
Burns |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 42-27/em> |
Adesanya |
Burns |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 40-29 |
Adesanya |
Burns |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 40-29 |
Adesanya |
Burns |
Yanez |
Ponzinibbio |
Rosas |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 39-30  2017 Champion |
Adesanya |
Masvidal |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 39-30 2018, 2022 Champion |
Pereira |
Burns |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 38-31 2014 Champion |
Adesanya |
Burns |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 38-31 |
Adesanya |
Burns |
Yanez |
Holland |
Rosas |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 36-33 |
Adesanya |
Burns |
 Font |
Ponzinibbio |
Rosas |
The UFC is back in Miami for the first time in a long time, and a middleweight title rematch tops the card.
UFC 287 takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN 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]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time against former champ [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC), whom he beat to win the belt this past November. Pereira also holds two kickboxing wins over Adesanya.
Despite that, Pereira is the underdog at the betting window with Adesanya around a -150 favorite. The vast majority of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are picking Adesanaya to get the belt back at a rate of 9-2.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at welterweight. Both fighters hope a win will make them a candidate to leapfrog Colby Covington as the next challenger for champ Leon Edwards. Burns is the biggest favorite on entire card, by far, at 5-1. Only two of our pickers have Masvidal in an upset.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is a near 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at bantamweight, and he’s a near unanimous pick from our staff members at 10-1.
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in a potential middleweight slugfest. Holland is around a -250 betting favorite, and he has a big 8-3 picks lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at a 137-pound catchweight (Rodriguez missed the bantamweight limit on the scale). Rosas is more than a 2-1 favorite, and he’s the lone unanimous pick on the main card.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Pereira (61 percent), Burns (80 percent), Yanez (67 percent), Holland (70 percent) and Rosas (84 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
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Christian Rodriguez is looking to steal the highly touted Raul Rosas Jr.’s shine at UFC 287.
MIAMI – [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] is looking to steal the highly touted [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]’s shine at UFC 287.
Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) faces Rosas Jr. (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on Saturday’s main card opener at Kaseya Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Rodriguez will be taking on 18-year-old phenom Rosas Jr., who became the youngest UFC fighter when he finished Jay Perrin by first-round submission in his octagon debut in December. Rodriguez is aware of all the hype surrounding Rosas Jr. – and he looks to capitalize on it.
“I feel like I’ll probably be the underdog in this fight,” Rodriguez told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s UFC 287 media day. “I do know he has a lot of hype, but I don’t mind the hype. I think it benefits me once I stop it.
“I like the matchup. I don’t think the UFC does any favors. I don’t think the UFC is the kind of place that tries to build people up. I think what the UFC does is, they put two prospects who are really good and they see whoever wants it more.”
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Rodriguez rates Rosas Jr.’s skills highly, but thinks he’s lacking in the striking department in comparison to him.
“He’s a very, very good grappler, but I feel that’s all he brings to the table,” Rodriguez said. “But I do respect his skillset. I do respect how good his grappling is. It’s not like I’m overlooking him or anything like that, but I do respect his skillset and his team.”
He continued, “He has good striking, but I think more of his game is striking to set up his grappling. So, I do feel like I’m more confident in my striking than his.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
Check out a live stream of the UFC 287 pre-fight press conference ahead of the pay-per-view event in Miami.
MIAMI – UFC 287 takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center, and you can watch a live video stream of the pre-event news conference here on MMA Junkie at 5 p.m. ET.
Participating in the press conference will be main event fighters [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and co-main competitors [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]. Also taking part will be main-card fighters [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag], [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag], [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag], [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag].
You can watch the press conference in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
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Before UFC 287 on Saturday’s main card and prelim fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.
MIAMI – A numbered UFC event returns to Miami on Saturday for the first time in more than 20 years with UFC 287, which takes place at Kaseya Arena with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was on-site for it all.
That includes headliners [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC), who are scheduled to rematch for the middleweight title in the main event, as well as the four remaining main card matchups and featured prelim bout.
If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.
Two of the top arms in Florida’s 2023 recruiting class took the mound against one another Tuesday night, and Gators Wire caught up with them to talk about the future.
The future of Florida’s pitching staff is incredibly bright.
The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. Near the top of Florida’s next crop of freshmen are two of South Florida’s finest arms, right-hander [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] and left-hander [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag].
Rodriguez pitches and plays outfield for the reigning back-to-back FHSAA Class 7A state champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles, and Menendez is the ace for the reigning Class 6A state champion Doral Academy Firebirds. The two programs clashed on Tuesday night, and both Florida commits were on the mound.
With nearly 40 college and pro scouts in attendance, Menendez and Rodriguez came out throwing heat. Rodriguez topped out at 97 mph and held 95 mph through the sixth inning, while Menenedez peaked at 95 mph and flashed his slider and changeup early.
Rodriguez ended up owning the night on his home field with 13 strikeouts through 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. He took a no-hitter into the sixth and generated 22 swings and misses throughout the night in a dominant performance against a good-hitting team.
A four-walk second inning cost Menendez the game, but he bounced back strong and finished out 4 2/3 innings. Menendez and Doral ended up taking a 3-0 loss to Rodriguez, but it was nothing but love between the two after the game. The two are incredibly close and could plan on being roommates next year if they both make it to Gainesville.
“If we end up at UF, I’m pretty sure we’re going to be roommates, me, him and (Jacob) Gomberg,” Menendez said. “So, we’re pretty close. I played with their summer team, Fitz’s summer team.”
Douglas head coach Todd Fitz-Gerald is part of the reason these South Florida arms are connected to Florida’s baseball program.
“(Florida assistant coach) Chuck Jerolomon played for me in the summers, and then Kevin (O’Sullivan) I’ve known for a long time. I had guys that played for him at Clemson,” Fitz-Gerald said. “We’ve got two guys up there now, [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag], and we’ve got three or four more going there.”
Along with Rodriguez, left-hander Jacob Gomberg, junior right-hander [autotag]Jayden Dubanewicz[/autotag] and freshman outfielder [autotag]Lorenzo Laurel[/autotag] are committed to UF. Rodriguez called Douglas the “headquarters” for Gators recruiting in a way.
“They like our guys,” Fitz-Gerald said. “They know that when they go in there, they are going to compete and aren’t going to slow anyone down. They’ll just have to bide their time, and when they get it, they’ll go off to great careers because they do a great job developing guys over there, especially on the pitching side.”
Rodriguez praised his head coach for linking him up with the Gators and said that he ended up picking UF because it was the best fit for him.
“The coaching staff, the track record, the facilities, everything you want, it’s the whole package (at Florida),” Rodriguez said. “Education, the area, there’s really nothing I don’t like over there. I love it… It’s really the full package like I said, and it’s just really hard not to choose Florida.”
Menendez was initially committed to Miami, but he changed things up and switched to the Orange and Blue in November of 2021. Rodriguez had already committed a month before, so he was a natural influence on his friend to flip. In the end, Menendez said he made the decision he thought would be best for his career.
Both arms might have to make another career decision over the summer once the 2023 MLB draft is underway. Florida got lucky in the most recent draft, but high school arms that hit 95+ mph are a rare commodity. If the Gators can get both guys to campus over the summer, the team will be adding another pair of dangerous arms to the staff.
Perfect Game ranks Rodriguez fifth among right-handers in Florida and No. 16 overall in the state. Nationally, he’s inside the top 100 at No. 96 overall and No. 23 among righties. Menendez is No. 186 overall on Perfect Games’ national rankings and No. 27 among left-handers in the class of 2023. He’s No. 26 overall in the state of Florida and No. 5 among lefties.
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Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 16-22.
MMA Junkie’s 2022 Newcomer of the Year, Raul Rosas Jr., has his second promotional appearance in the works for UFC 287.
After a successful UFC debut, the undefeated, record-setting [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] is targeted for his second bout with the promotion.
At UFC 287 on April 8, MMA Junkie’s 2022 Newcomer of the Year Rosas Jr. (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is on tap to face Christian Rodriguez in a bantamweight clash. The pay-per-view event does not yet have a confirmed location or venue.
MMA Junkie confirmed with multiple sources that the fight is in the works, following a first report from Eurosport Netherlands.
In his first appearance, Rosas Jr., 18, set a record as the youngest fighter to win a UFC bout by submitting Jay Perrin in the first round at UFC 282. Rosas Jr.’s debut came less than three months after his unanimous decision victory over Mando Gutierrez on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was victorious in his second UFC outing, bouncing back impressively after a unanimous decision loss in his debut to Jonathan Pearce. In October, Rodriguez, who is also a DWCS veteran, finished Joshua Weems in the first round by submission.
With the addition, the UFC 287 lineup includes:
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After a first-round submission win to open UFC Fight Night 213, Christian Rodriguez has his sights set on two potential opponents.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] beat Joshua Weems with a first-round submission Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 213 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Rodriguez, who picked up the first win of his UFC career.
Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 213, where Arnold Allen became just the sixth in history to go 10-0 in the octagon.
The UFC closed its October schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 213, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
In the main event, [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) kept his perfect octagon record intact when he picked up a second-round injury TKO win over [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in their featherweight bout.
For more on the numbers to come out of the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 213.
