Pereira vs Adesanya 2 Odds Preview: One Last Shot at Glory

UFC Odds Favor Adesanya to Finally Beat Pereira

Will Israel Adesanya finally defeat Alex Pereira? In this rematch from UFC 281, Adesanya looks to recapture his UFC middleweight title while also beating the man that’s beaten him three times. The Pereira vs Adesanya odds favor the challenger (-140) even though he’s never actually won against Pereira. But all three fights were close even if two ended with Pereira knocking Adesanya out.

Do or Die: Adesanya Gets One Final Crack at Archrival

Most fighters don’t get a chance to redeem a loss never mind two or three chances to do it. Adesanya knows this is potentially his final chance at beating the man who holds three wins over him. In one of his recent YouTube videos, Adesanya talked about his mindset heading to this fourth fight with Pereira:

“Yeah, I do, actually. I’m one thing I mean that in every sense of the word, the mindset’s different though definitely, I mean Eugene and me on the same page,” Adesanya said via MMA Junkie. “The mindset is definitely different. I like it too, I like it because it puts it all on me and it’s kind of poetic in a way like this is my like I said in one life roll the dice, so it’s my last shot and give it all I got in every sense of the word.”

Adesanya fought a more tactical and measured approach in the first UFC fight versus Pereira. He was beating Pereira on the scorecards and even wobbled him to end a round. Had the bell not rung, Adesanya may have just finished Pereira was the first Pereira vs Adesanya odds expected.

But that is not what happened, instead, Pereira rallied to hurt and finish Adesanya in the final minutes of the fight. Adesanya protested the stoppage and insists to this day that he was not totally “out of it”. But he is not making excuses and will instead have to prove he is the better man by beating Pereira.

Pereira Warns Adesanya

As for Alex Pereira, he is more than confident he is going to beat Adesanya again. He issued a stern warning to his archnemesis:

“Fighting me this fast kind of showed me that maybe he just wanted to get it over with, wanted to get it done. Let me just fight this guy one more time,” Pereira told Sporting News through a translator. “Then, whatever happens, at least I can live my life in peace. He knows deep inside that he lost three times and I think that weighs on his shoulders way more than it is on mine.”

The champion will be the underdog (+110) yet again per the Pereira vs Adesanya odds. All of his victories against Adesanya were by the skin of his teeth. But the record still shows that he is a perfect 3-0 against the former champion. Come Sunday, Pereira could end this rivalry for good and create his identity outside of Adesanya’s shadow.

Burn Out: This Could be The End for Masvidal if He Loses to Burns

In the co-main event is a fighter who can empathize with the pressure Adesanya is feeling: Jorge Masvidal. The former two-time title challenger at welterweight is on a three-fight losing skid while facing criminal charges for attacking Colby Covington in a restaurant. A loss to Burns will end Masvidal’s run as a contender and maybe even as a UFC fighter.

“This could be the last one. If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits,” Masvidal revealed during the UFC 287 Countdown episode. “But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So, if I roll the dice, and I do everything right, I’m going for it all. For one title or many titles.”

Masvidal remains one of the most popular UFC fighters, which is why he still finds himself in the spotlight despite not having won since 2019. His last 10 wins have come against fighters not currently on the roster anymore.

That’s why the UFC odds are stacked against Masvidal. He’s the +345 underdog, which is the largest he’s been in his career. Burns is once again a massive favorite at -470 after making short work of Neil Magny as a -550 favorite earlier this January. Having fought the likes of Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev, beating and potentially retiring a star like Masvidal will be Burns’s biggest win.

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