The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida tonight for UFC 287: “Pereira vs Adesanya 2.” The event featured a rematch – and fourth fight overall – between new champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira and long-time rival Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya.

In the welterweight co-main event, Gilbert “Durinho” Burns battled Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal in a title contender’s bout. Elsewhere on the main card, Rob Font faced off against Adrian Yanez in a featured bantamweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 287 card.

UFC Middleweight Championship

Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya vs Alex “Poatan” Pereira

Round 1:
Adesanya was active with kicks to Pereira’s body and left calf during the opening minute. Pereira kicked at Adesanya’s lead leg and he blocked a head kick. Adesanya landed a lead left hook and a body kick. He threw another body kick after Pereira scored with two calf kicks. Adesanya landed a left hook and Pereira answered with kicks to both of his legs before the bell. Competitive round. 10-9 Pereira.

Round 2:
From a southpaw stance, Adesanya threw head kicks to begin round two, but Pereira backed him up to the cage and landed a lead left hook. The pace picked up as the fighters exchanged left hands and Adesanya threw another head kick that was blocked. Adesanya landed two punches to the body and ate a hard jab in response. He pressed forward with a right hook and a body kick. Adesanya just missed with a left hook and he landed two hooks to the body. Punches were exchanged in close and Pereira hurt Adesanya with a calf kick. He followed with a right hook and a knee, but Adesanya weathered the storm and he froze Pereira in place with a right hook. He knocked him out cold with a second right hand and then followed with one hammerfist on the ground. Pereira was out for several seconds.

Winner: Israel Adesanya by KO (Punches) at 4:21 of round two. He improves to 24-2-0 and becomes the new UFC Middleweight Champion.

Gilbert “Durinho” Burns vs Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal

Round 1:
Nothing transpired for the first minute until the fighters traded leg kicks. Burns scored with a right hook and Masvidal landed another leg kick. He continued to attack Burns’s lead leg and fought off a clinch attempt. Masvidal threw a body kick and both men landed overhand rights. As Burns landed a calf kick, Masvidal threw a one-two and he followed up with a right hook. Burns secured a body lock and took Masvidal down into side control with seconds remaining. Burns closed out the round with hammerfists from the top. Close opening round. 10-9 Burns due to the late offence.

Round 2:
Burns opened round two right a right hook and he slammed Masvidal down to the mat. Burns threw short punches from the top and he kept Masvidal pinned in place. He pushed him up against the base of the cage and Masvidal got to his feet. Burns took his back and suplexed him back down. Masvidal stood and Burns held him against the cage. Masvidal pushed him away and Burns caught a body kick. He landed a hard right hook in the final seconds. 10-9 Burns.

Round 3:
Burns landed an overhand right and the fighters exchanged inside-leg kicks. Masvidal landed two more leg kicks and then a spinning back kick to the body. Burns jabbed and then rocked Masvidal with a right hook. He connected with another one, but Masvidal recovered quickly and landed a right hook of his own. Burns stunned Masvidal with two more right hands and he kept the pressure on with more punches as Masvidal backed up to the cage. Burns repeatedly scored with left and right hooks, then secured a body lock. He took Masvidal down into side control and landed elbows from the top. Masvidal got back to half-guard, but Burns kept him down until the end of the fight. 10-9 Burns.

Winner: Gilbert Burns by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 22-5-0.

Rob Font vs Adrian Yanez

Round 1:
Font immediately landed a right hook and the fighters exchanged right hands after Font landed two jabs. Yanez landed two overhand rights and an uppercut as Font tried to close the distance. Font wobbled Yanez momentarily with a jab, but Yanez fired right back with a looping right hook. Font’s left eye began to swell up, but he rocked Yanez with two right hands and chased after him with more power punches. A big right hook floored Yanez and Font followed up with hammerfists until the fight was stopped.

Winner: Rob Font by KO (Punches) at 2:57 of round one. He improves to 20-6-0.

Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland vs Santiago “Argentine Dagger” Ponzinibbio

Round 1:
Holland kept his distance and kicked at Ponzinibbio’s lead leg. He landed a counter right hook as Ponzinibbio moved forward. Ponzinibbio blocked a head kick and landed a kick to Holland’s body. Leg kicks were exchanged and both men threw punches, with Ponzinibbio connected with a right hook. Ponzinibbio caught a kick, but Holland dropped him with a backfist. He landed three more punches on the ground, but time expired. 10-9 Holland.

Round 2:
In the second round, the fighters traded leg kicks and Ponzinibbio landed a right hook. Both men scored with lead left hooks and Ponzinibbio followed with a leg kick. He landed a right hand and another leg kick. Ponzinibbio caught a kick and threw a spinning backfist. He continued to kick at Holland’s lead leg, but Holland landed a strong right hand in response. Late in the round, Holland landed an elbow and a one-two. Back-and-forth round. 10-9 Holland.

Round 3:
The final round began with Ponzinibbio landing two hard leg kicks. He landed another one, but slipped while throwing a fourth. Holland missed with a spinning heel kick attempt and Ponzinibbio landed two stiff jabs. Soon after, Holland caught a body kick and spun Ponzinibbio around with a right hook. He dropped Ponzinibbio face-first with a lunging left hook and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Kevin Holland by KO (Punch) at 3:16 of round three. He improves to 24-9-0, 1 NC.

Christian “CeeRod” Rodriguez vs Raul “El Niño Problema” Rosas Jr.

Round 1:
Rosas immediately shot in for a takedown and Rodriguez stuffed it. A clinch battle ensued against the cage and Rodriguez landed knees to Rosas’s body. Rosas finally got Rodriguez down and he moved from side control inro a guillotine choke, but Rodriguez escaped into top position and the fight returned to the feet. Rosas took Rodriguez’s back and briefly pulled him down to the mat. Rodriguez stood and Rosas jumped into a standing rear-naked choke attempt. He locked on a tight body triangle as well, but Rodriguez defended well against the choke. Rosas pulled him down to the mat while maintaining the body triangle until the end of the round. 10-9 Rosas.

Round 2:
Rodriguez opened the second round with a takedown into side control, but Rosas rose to his feet and he clinched after Rodriguez scored with a knee. Rosas took Rodriguez’s back and pulled him down, but Rodriguez turned over into top position. He moved to side control and landed short elbows. Rosas tried unsuccessfully to sweep and Rodriguez kept him pinned down. Rodriguez took Rosas’s back and hunted for a rear-naked choke. 10-9 Rodriguez.

Round 3:
Rodriguez scored with a jab-cross combo in the final round and sprawled out of a Rosas takedown attempt. Rodriguez stuffed a second takedown and then a third. He took Rosas’s back and then mounted him. Rosas gave up his back again and Rodriguez punched the side of his face. He battered him with more punches and locked on a body triangle to prevent Rosas from rolling. He calmly worked for a rear-naked choke and punched Rosas’s ribs. Rodriguez maintained back control until the end of the fight. 10-9 Rodriguez.

Winner: Christian Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-1-0.

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)