UFC 287 Odds and Predictions: Full Card Analysis and Picks

After a short week without events, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with one of the biggest fight cards of 2023. Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will face current title holder Alex Pereira. Their fight will be the main event of the UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2, which will be held on April 8 in Miami, Florida. Here are the best UFC 287 odds and predictions.

UFC 287 Odds and Predictions: Early Prelims

Cynthia Calvillo vs Loopy Godinez

Cynthia Calvillo Preview

Cynthia is considered a versatile fighter who is most dangerous on the ground. In the standing position, she tries to work pragmatically for points. In the stalls, Calvillo is distinguished by good positional wrestling skills and frequent attempts for submissions.

Due to the fact that the American tries to hit accurately, she looks too passive in her stance. This is exacerbated by her slowness in the standing position. To implement her main trump card, grappling, Cynthia lacks the skill of conducting takedowns. The percentage of the effectiveness of her transfers is less than 50. I also note the poor stamina of the American. With intensive combat, Cynthia gets tired in the 2nd round.

Loopy Godinez Preview

Loopy is a versatile fighter with good striking technique and a quality grappling base. Her main game plan is a quick takedown followed by a mount and control.

The reason for Loopy's close record in the UFC is her love of frequent fights. So in the fall of 2021, she had 3 fights in 45 days and caught an extra defeat from Luana Carolina. Godinez simply did not have time to prepare well for opponents.

Calvillo vs Godinez Prediction

Loopy Godinez is the unequivocal favorite of the meeting, but the bookmakers give too low odds for her victory: 1.38. Therefore, I would venture to suggest that this duel will not reach a decision and the UFC 287 Odds for this market are solid.

In the stance, Loopy is much more aggressive than her opponent. Yes, she does not have knockout power in her fists, but in 2 rounds, she is able to deal so much cumulative damage that the doctor could even give advice on stopping the fight. Considering that Cynthia is already tired in the second round, I won’t be surprised if she starts absorbing everything that will fly in her face.

On the ground, the fight will continue until the first mistake. Both athletes are wrestling well and as long as Calvillo is fresh, she will be able to catch her opponent in a submission. But as soon as Cynthia starts to run out of steam, she will lose concentration and start making more mistakes, which will allow Loopy to seize the moment and get an armbar.

UFC 287 Predictions: Two Massive Fights in the Prelims

Gerald Meerschaert vs Joe Pyfer

Gerald Meerschaert Preview

Gerald is a black belt in BJJ. Once in the stalls, he is looking for an opportunity to execute a submission from any position. 24 out of 32 victories he won with the help of submissions.

In the standing position, Meerschaert does a lot of work, throwing a lot of punches on different levels. The fighter uses his striking technique to get close to an opponent and take him to the ground.

Gerald has a weak jaw. 2 of his last 3 losses were by knockouts in the 1st round. The athlete had more than 40 fights, most likely, the weak chin is due to the fact that he received too much damage and now cannot withstand serious hits.

Joe Pyfer Preview

Pyfer excels with knockout power. He won 7 out of 10 victories by finishing opponents in the standing position. Joe reinforces his standing skills with good wrestling skills, thanks to which he can take the fight to the ground if he fails to do anything in the standing position.

Joe is a bit of an enigma. The level of his opposition, to put it mildly, has been rather low. It is possible that in a fight with an experienced opponent, he will find himself in a situation from which he will not be able to get out. Also, speaking about Pyfer's grappling, I note that he has attacking skills, but his defense in the fight is in a deplorable state.

Meerschaert vs Pyfer Prediction

Joe Pyfer is thrown early under a strong opponent who is in good shape and the UFC 287 odds here are shocking. Yes, Meerschaert has problems with strong punchers, but he survived Bruno Silva, who has been winning exclusively by knockouts since 2017. I think, thanks to his superiority in experience, Gerald will be able to neutralize Joe. In addition, Pyfer has mediocre takedown defense, so Meerschaert will simply drag him to the ground. If Pyfer often finds himself with Gerald on the canvas, then the likelihood that Joe will tap into surrender will increase.

Chris Curtis vs Kelvin Gastelum

Chris Curtis Preview

Chris has a good boxing background. He carefully leads the fight, adjusts to the opponent, and gradually builds up aggression. This allows him not to swing out, save and evenly distribute energy for 3 rounds. Curtis is also different in that he can wait for the right moment to deal a crushing blow.

Chris has gaps in his wrestling technique. If he is transferred to the ground, he makes mistakes, allowing opponents to occupy dominant positions, and at least score points on this.

Curtis needs time to adjust to the opponent. So he gives up the first round. At this time, he is looking for holes in the opponent's defense and calculates the moment for a knockout punch.

Kelvin Gastelum Preview

Kelvin is a versatile fighter with a good fighting base. He prefers to work in a standing position, where he throws long combinations with the leading right hand. This allows him to level the difference in size and invest in every shot.

On the ground, Kelvin can control opponents well. He quickly takes a favorable position, from where he works with ground and pound. Gastelum's favorite submission is the rear naked choke. If he is behind his back, he quickly catches the opponent for this submission.

The main disadvantage of Kelvin, which crosses out all its advantages, is the small dimensions for this weight class. Gastelum is basically a fat-filled lightweight. He does not like to deal with a nutritionist and watch his diet. Therefore, he was banned from competing in welterweight due to the regular failure of weight races.

Curtis vs Gastelum Prediction

It is not known what form Kelvin will wear at UFC 287. Gastelum has lost 5 of his last 6 fights and has not competed since August 2021. The situation of the fighter is aggravated by the fact that in the winter of 2023, he was injured while preparing for the fight against Nassurdin Imavov and this does not add confidence in his readiness for the fight with Curtis.

During the absence of Gastelum, Chris managed to hold 5 fights, managed to smash strong fighters such as Brendan Allen, Rudolfo Viera, and Joaquin Buckley, and lost to Jack Hermansson, the top middleweight. Also, we must not forget that Curtis performs in his correct category. This is a natural middleweight who will surpass Kelvin in size and physical strength.

Therefore, I expect that while Gastelum will get used to the octagon, Chris will interrupt him in the rack. Gastelum will have a hard time getting into a comfortable distance as Curtis has a 10 cm reach advantage.

UFC 287 Predictions: One of the Best Main Cards of 2023

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Christian Rodriguez

Raul Rosas Jr. Preview

Raul is an 18-year-old American fighter. He started his professional career in 2021 and in 11 months went on a streak of 5 stoppage wins in a row.

Raul demonstrates outstanding wrestling skills: he has tenacious control and good BJJ skills, thanks to which he won 5 out of 7 victories by submission.

The real level of Rosas remains to be seen. The level of his opposition leaves much to be desired and the real ceiling of his skills is unknown. Therefore, you should not overestimate the Mexican when he starts to fight with top opponents.

Christian Rodriguez Preview

Christian is an all-rounder with bases in BJJ and Muay Thai. In the standing position, he shoots opponents with lightning strikes at medium and close range, works well in the clinch, and knows how to find the right moment to land a tight knee strike.

On the ground, Rodriguez relies on BJJ skills. He works well in the position from above and quickly finds positions that are convenient for submissions.

Rodriguez has poor takedown defense. He allows himself to be translated too easily and works poorly in the position on the back.

Rosas Jr. vs Rodriguez Prediction

I do not think that Raul will be able to get a second quick win in a row. Of course, the matchmakers gave him a convenient opponent, but Rodriguez has enough skills not to lose in the first 5 minutes. If the youngster transfers Christian to the ground, then Rodriguez will defend himself competently and Rosas will be able to develop an advantage only through control on the ground. It is grappling exchanges in the clinch at the net and passive control on the canvas that should help this fight drag on. The UFC 287 Odds here are not perfect but they are suitable for a combination with another prediction on a betting slip.

Kevin Holland vs Santiago Ponzinibbio

Kevin Holland Preview

Kevin is a 30-year-old American fighter. In 2018, he came to Dana White's Contender Series, where he defeated Will Santiago by a unanimous decision and signed with the UFC.

Holland is a versatile fighter who does a lot of work. In the stand, he has good footwork and unusual shots. In addition, Kevin has enough power in his fists to knock out an opponent with one punch.

Despite his BJJ skills, Kevin is bad on the ground. In fights against really good grapplers, he loses positions, and his attempts to stand up fail.

Santiago Ponzinibbio Preview

Santiago is a 36-year-old fighter from Argentina. In 2013, he took part in the 2nd season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he performed successfully and signed a contract with the UFC.

In total, Santiago had 16 fights in the UFC: 11 won, 5 lost. In 2019, Santiago had health problems, which is why he took a break to recover. But after recovering in 2020, UFC matchmakers did not find him an opponent. So the return to the octagon was delayed for the Argentine by 2 years. Santiago spent his peak fighting off injuries and waiting for calls from matchmakers.

Santiago has a kickboxing base. The fighter is distinguished by non-standard striking technique, excellent footwork, and a good sense of timing. Santiago is also a BJJ black belt holder. The Argentine uses his skills in this martial art mainly for defense. He has no submission losses, and Ponzinibbio has 6 victories by submissions.

Holland vs Ponzinibbio Prediction

This is the type of fight that can be explosive and could end in seconds, so it is shocking to see such high UFC 287 odds here. Ponzi does not hold a blow well and, when meeting with a hard-hitting opponent, he flew into a knockout from the first hit. Kevin has enough power to send Santiago to sleep in one of the exchanges.

On the other hand, against Stephen Thompson, Holland showed that he has huge holes in his defense against technical opponents. If Ponzinibbio survives the American's starting onslaught, he will easily open his defense. In my opinion, Santiago hits harder than Stephen Thompson, and therefore Holland needs to protect his jaw, otherwise, he will lose again by knockout. With this, we complete our UFC 287 Predictions for the fight card below the main event and co-main event.