UFC 287: Israel Adesanya booked for middleweight title rematch against Alex Pereira in April

Israel Adesanya will square off against Alex Pereira again in April at UFC 287. Photo / Getty Images

Israel Adesanya will go on the hunt in April to reclaim the UFC middleweight championship.

After losing his belt to Alex Pereira in November last year, Adesanya will back up against his long-time rival at UFC 287 on April 9 with a shot to take his title back.

The news was confirmed by UFC president Dana White on Saturday morning, although a venue for the event is yet to be announced. White also confirmed Dan Hooker’s previously reported fight against Jalin Turner for UFC 285 in early March.

There will be plenty of eyes on the rematch between Adesanya and Pereira, with the history of their rivalry continuing from the kickboxing realm to mixed martial arts last year.

It was a familiar story for Adesanya when the two met in the octagon at Madison Square Garden last November, with Adesanya putting together an impressive performance to lead on all the scorecards, only to be stopped in the last round.

It was eerily similar to the way he lost to Pereira in their last encounter – five years previously in kickboxing.

Adesanya had Pereira on wobbly legs late in the first round but ran out of time to capitalise, and the break between rounds allowed Pereira to recover. The Brazilian came back strong to win the second round, before Adesanya turned things up to take the third and fourth.

However, his movement was compromised early in the fifth round as Pereira continued to invest in trying to attack Adesanya’s legs with heavy kicks. When Pereira finally did connect with a power shot, Adesanya wasn’t quite as mobile as he otherwise would be. Pereira backed Adesanya up against the fence, unloaded and the referee stepped in to wave the fight off.

While he didn’t agree with the stoppage, Adesanya was humble in his defeat and gave credit to Pereira’s performance. He was also quick to confirm he would be looking to turn things right around with his Brazilian adversary.

“I’m grateful. What a life, what a moment. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Similar to the last time; same story,” Adesanya said after the fight.

“I know what I can do. He hit my perennial nerve, and that’s why my footwork was compromise. Kudos to him for investing in those calf kicks, because it cost me.

“He’s durable and he recovers well. Even after the first round, I knew he was going to come strong because he was down. Same thing as last time again. It’s another great story for him, but it’s not over. This is still war.”

It brings plenty of intrigue to the top end of a division in which Adesanya has otherwise dominated since his arrival in the UFC in 2018. Adesanya ran off 12 straight wins in the middleweight division – seven of those being title fights.