UFC 281 Adesanya vs Pereira: Adesanya Looks to Defend His Middleweight Championship

• Two title fights take place at UFC 281
• Poirier & Chandler finally set to do battle at MSG
• Frankie Edgar set to retire after Gutierrez fight

UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Odds

The odds for this match are provided by the DraftKings Sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to Draftkings to place a bet.

UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Picks 

(C) Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira - Middleweight Championship

Israel Adesanya (-180)

(C) Carla Esparza vs Zhang Weili - Women’s Strawweight Championship

Zhang Weili (-350)

Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler - Lightweight Division

Dustin Poirier (-210)

Frankie Edgar vs Chris Gutierrez - Bantamweight Division

Chris Gutierrez (-210)

Dan Hooker vs Claudio Puelles - Lightweight Division

Claudio Puelles (+135)

Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira - Middleweight Championship

Israel Adesanya looks to defend his middleweight championship against the man who beat him twice outside of the UFC in professional kickboxing: Alex Pereira.

At 23-1, Adesanya has only one loss on his pro MMA record - a loss to former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in a bid to become a double-champ.

Since that loss, Adesanya has defended the middleweight strap three more times - most recently defeating Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision at UFC 276 in July.

Since losing his MMA debut, Alex Pereira has won six straight fights, including three in the UFC.

He most recently knocked out Sean Strickland at UFC 276 - the same card that Adesanya last fought.

Both men stand at equal height but the champion will have a one-inch advantage in reach. 

Adesanya is listed as the -180 favorite to win this mixed martial arts contest.

To find out how to place your bets for this middleweight championship main event, check out our ultimate UFC betting guide to get started.

Carla Esparza vs Zhang Weili - Women’s Strawweight Championship

Zhang Weili looks to become a two-time strawweight champion this Saturday when she challenges the current two-time (and first-ever) strawweight champion Carla Esparza in the co-main event.

Weili has only two professional losses on her record, both of them coming against Rose Namajunas - who she lost her title to before losing her title rematch.

Esparza, who defeated Rose Namajunas for the inaugural strawweight title in 2014 most recently defeated her once more - regaining the championship from ‘Thug Rose’ this past May at UFC 274.

Weili is considered the physically stronger fighter and will stand three-inches taller. The Chinese-born fighter and former champ is the biggest betting favorite on the main card, being listed at -350.

To find out how to place your bets for this women’s strawweight championship co-main event, check out our ultimate UFC betting guide to get started.

Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler - Lightweight Division

With some heated back-and-forth verbal battles going on over the past several months, top-five UFC lightweights Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler look to settle their differences once and for all - with the winner set to be a prime candidate for the next lightweight title shot.

Former interim champion Dustin Poirier lost his title unification bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov before winning his next three fights in a row - including back-to-back wins over Conor McGregor.

He last fought again for the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira last December at UFC 269 but was submitted in the third round.

After back-to-back losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler recently secured his second UFC win this past May with a highlight-reel front kick knockout of Tony Ferguson.

Chandler is now 2-2 in the promotion.

Poirier will stand three inches taller and have a one-inch reach advantage over Chandler. Poirier enters the contest as a -210 favorite.

Frankie Edgar vs Chris Gutierrez - Bantamweight Division

In what will be his retirement fight, former UFC lightweight champion and featherweight title contender Frankie Edgar takes on Chris Gutierrez this Saturday for his final octagon appearance.

Edgar is 1-4 in his last five, having lost his last two fights in a row to Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera - both by knockout.

Chris Gutierrez is undefeated in the UFC, having won six of his seven fights with the promotion and having fought to a draw against Cody Durden.

He last fought in March - earning a performance of the night bonus for his second-round TKO win over Danaa Batgerel.

Gutierrez is a -210 favorite.

Dan Hooker vs Claudio Puelles - Lightweight Division

Just 1-4 in his last five fights, including a loss at featherweight to Arnold Allen in March, Dan Hooker looks to work his way back into the top-10 lightweight rankings - where he is currently ranked as number twelve.

He takes on Claudio Puelles this Saturday, who is undefeated thus far in the UFC, having won his last five fights in a row and earning two performance bonuses.

Puelles has a purple belt in luta livre but will be at a disadvantage against Hooker in both height and reach. 

Hooker enters as a -155 favorite but we are leaning towards the underdog in this one.

How to Watch UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira

• LOCATION: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
• WHEN: Saturday, November 12
• TIME: 10PM EST
• HOW: PPV, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN+