The UFC finally returned to Miami, Florida on Saturday for UFC 287 which saw the middleweight title up for grabs.
In the main event, Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya were having their rematch in MMA while fighting for the fourth time in combat sports. The two fought back in November at UFC 281 with Pereira scoring a fifth-round comeback TKO win to become the new champ. It was also the third time he beat Adesanya in combat sports. The co-main event of UFC 287 saw Gilbert Burns take on Jorge Masvidal.
In the end, it was Adesanya reclaiming his title with a second-round KO win over Pereira. The co-main event saw Burns dominate Masvidal and won a clear-cut decision. Now, after UFC 287, here is what I think should be next for the four fighters involved in the big fights.
Israel Adesanya & Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya was named the new UFC middleweight champion on Saturday, but the problem is, he has basically cleared out everyone in the top-five. There is the possibility of a trilogy with Robert Whittaker or facing Khamzat Chimaev, but to me, the Swede needs a top-five win at 185lbs.
With that, I think the fight to make is running this scrap back. Adesanya and Pereira are rivals and are now 1-1 in MMA so running it back makes sense, especially with no clear-cut challenger for Adesanya. Although Adesanya didn’t seem too interested in making the fight happen, to me, this is the fight to make and have it happen sometime in the fall.
Gilbert Burns
Gilbert Burns is in a very weird position at welterweight following his UFC 287 win over Jorge Masvidal.
Leon Edwards is expected to defend his belt against Colby Covington, Belal Muhammad wants Kamaru Usman next, and Burns trains with Shavkat Rakhmonov leaving him in a tough spot. The Brazilian called to be the backup for the title fight, which Dana White said he will be.
But, I do think Burns needs another fight and the most logical one is a Fight Night main event against Belal Muhammad with the winner getting the next title shot.
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal retired from MMA following his UFC 287 decision loss to Gilbert Burns. Although there is no what’s next for him, I just want to write about his amazing career. Masvidal was never viewed as a legit title contender but that all changed in 2019 when he had one of the best years in MMA and became one of the biggest stars in the company.
Masvidal was a fan-favorite and will go down as many fans’ favorite fighter. As well, he is more than set up to do well post-fighting as he is already dabbling in the promoter career.
Heck of a career Jorge!
What do you think should be next for the stars of UFC 287?
