UFC 281 Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira: How to Watch, Start Times, Predictions
Israel Adesanya has looked unbeatable at middleweight.
UFC 281 is here, the last truly mega UFC card of 2022. This is not a PPV you can afford to miss.
At the top of the card is Israel Adesanya. One of the UFC's biggest stars, he defends his UFC middleweight title against a surging Alex Pereira. This time round, the normally unbeatable Adesanya could have a minor chink in his armor. Adesanya, currently unbeaten at middleweight, has been defeated not once, but twice by Pereira in kickboxing matchups.
But this isn't kickboxing, it's mixed martial arts. And Adesanya's kickboxing bouts with Pereira come with caveats. In the first match, Pereira was gifted a decision many thought Adesanya won. In the second fight, Adesanya was winning clearly before being brutally knocked out by a brutal, clinical hook.
Regardless of how this plays out, for the first time in a long time, there's an element of drama to an Adesanya main event.
Zhang Weili by knockout. Too strong, too fast, too technical. This is a terrible match-up for Esparza. I'll be shocked if Weili loses this.
Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler
Chandler's best chance is via knockout in the first round. If it gets out of the first round I expect Poirier to take over. Poirier has gotten out of the first round with Conor McGregor in their last two bouts, so I expect him to win this fight by decision. I also expect this to be the best fight on the card.
How to watch UFC 281
The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That's great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you're one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.
In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 281, you'll only find the fight night on pay per view through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN's site: