UFC return with UFC 281 this weekend. The event will be headlined by the UFC Middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. In the co-main event, Carla Esparza will be defending the UFC Women’s Strawweight title against Zhang Weili.
An exciting Lightweight contest between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier will also be on the main card which happens on 13 November 2022.
Israel Adesanya, the current UFC middleweight champion, will face No. 5 rated contender and former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in the main event.
In his second appearance at MSG, reigning middleweight champion Adesanya (23-1, competing out of Auckland, New Zealand) intends to make another statement.
He has proven himself to be one of the best strikers to ever participate in MMA with victories over former champions Robert Whittaker (twice) and Anderson Silva, as well as Derek Brunson, Marvin Vettori, and Paulo Costa.
He is arguably the most widely-liked champion in the UFC right now. Adesanya now aims to vindicate two kickboxing defeats to Pereira and establish himself as the world's top martial artist.
Pereira (6-1, representing Danbury, Connecticut via Sao Paulo, Brazil) wants to take advantage of his first chance at a UFC championship. Former middleweight and light heavyweight Glory kickboxing champion, he made his MMA debut by dominating Sean Strickland and Andreas Michailidis.
Pereira now intends to defeat Adesanya one more and win the 185-gold to prove that he is the best striker in MMA.
Carla Esparza, the UFC women's strawweight champion, will defend her title against Zhang Weili, a former champion and No. 2 rated contender, in the co-main event.
Esparza (20-6, competing out of Irvine, California) is aiming to start her new season at the top with a convincing win. Esparza, who is now on a six-fight winning streak, fought her way back to the title by defeating Michelle Waterson, Marina Rodriguez, and Yan Xiaonan. She now anticipates neutralising Zhang to achieve her first successful title defence.
Zhang, a former champion (22-3, fighting out of Beijing, China), aims to reclaim her lost championship and establish herself as one of the top MMA fighters.
She is the first and only Chinese champion in UFC history, and she has won over Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk twice, and Jessica Aguilar to the delight of the crowd. Zhang now intends to defeat Esparza and become the next UFC champion.
UFC 281 will be live in India on Sunday, 13 November 2022 from 8:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on SONY SPORTS TEN 2, SONY SPORTS TEN 3 (Hindi), and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) Channels.
What are your predictions for the event? Let us know in the comments below.
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