The UFC returns to New York on Saturday for its annual event at Madison Square Garden with UFC 281, which has a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
A doubleheader of championship bouts is featured at the top of the card, with middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) set to take on former two-time kickboxing rival [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the headlining act.
The co-main event will see strawweight champion [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) attempt to kick off her second reign in positive fashion when she meets former titleholder [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC).
For more on the numbers behind both title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 281.
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