By:  | February 5, 2023 7:27 pm

UFC 287 us heading to Miami! Jorge Masvidal will be fighting in his hometown on April 8th and is sure to pay homage to his Cuban roots by wearing the suit inspired by the Scarface movie.

Masvidal is Miami born and bred. But his father fled from Cuba and became involved in drug trafficking just like the main characters in the famous movie Scarface.

Masvidal was involved in street fighting as a youngster and has been been in some well publicized altercations but has managed to stay away from the criminal lifestyle. He will be looking to turn his career around at UFC 287 after some indifferent recent results.

Masvidal (35-16) has lost his last three fights. Things won’t get any easier on April 8th as he has been matched with #5 ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns.

Asian interest

UFC 287 will be a big card for Asian MMA fans. Numerous fighters from the region are in action at the event which is headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.

Thai/American strawweight Michelle Waterson will be looking to snap her two fight losing skid. The 37 year old has been matched with Luana Pinheiro (10-1) who is riding an eight fight winning streak.

Waterson (16-10) turned 37 last month and has not won a fight since 2020. She made her debut in 2007 and has been a professional mixed martial artist for 16 years.

Chinese contingent

Jingliang Li (19-8) will be looking to get back in the win column after his split decision defeat to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279. Even Dana White thought the Chinese welterweight should have got the nod from the judges on that occasion.

He has been matched with an experienced opponent on April 8th. The 34 year old will be taking on Michael Chiesa (16-6) who won TUF 15 and has been on the roster since 2012.

Also representing China is Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (39-10). The Chinese veteran is one of the most experienced fighters on the UFC roster and is coming off three straight wins.

He has been matched with Steve Garcia (13-5) who doesn’t have a good record against Chinese opponents. He was knocked out by Maheshate at UFC 275 last year.

Main event

The rivalry between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya has crossed over from kickboxing to MMA. The two men fought twice in China, sharing a win apiece.

They met for the third time inside the octagon at UFC 281. Pereira won by knockout, just as he had done in their most recent kickboxing match, to capture the middleweight title.

Adesanya (23-2) will be looking to recapture the belt and avenge his first ever defeat at 185lbs. Pereira (10-1) will be looking to make it ten straight wins.

UFC 287, Miami, April 8th
Alex Pereira (c) vs. Israel Adesanya (Middleweight)
Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal (Welterweight)
Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (Welterweight)
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez (Bantamweight)
Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer (Middleweight)
Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia (Lightweight)
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Nikolas Motta (Lightweight)
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Chris Curtis (Middleweight)
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez (Strawweight)
Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro (Strawweight)
Michael Chiesa vs. Li Jingliang (Welterweight)