UFC 287 is about to host the latest chapter in the the long-running feud between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
After losing to Pereira twice in kickboxing bouts, the narrative going into their very first UFC fight was simple: Adesanya would be too experienced for Pereira, a relative latecomer to mixed martial arts.
And that narrative was accurate. At UFC 281, for four straight rounds, Adesanya largely controlled their first MMA fight but then, in the final round, Pereira hurt Adesanya on the feet, before laying a brutal barrage of punches on the former middleweight king, forcing the referee to stop the fight. An upset win? Sort of. Most expected Adesanya would win, but no-one doubted that the incredibly destructive Pereira had a puncher’s chance.
Adesanya’s (left) first MMA fight against Pereira ended in defeat.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Now it’s rematch time. Adesanya is now 0-3 against Pereira but seemed to be cruising in their last fight before the finish. Does that mean Adesanya will win the rematch? Not exactly. You only have to look at the recent fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman to see why. After winning via a Hail Mary knockout in their first title fight, Edwards outclassed Usman in their recent rematch. Point being: Pereira knows he can finish Adesanya in an MMA fight and that sort of confidence changes everything.
Either way, this is a fantastic rematch. I, for one, can’t wait to see how it plays out.
UFC 287 Start time
The UFC 287 main card starts at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on April 8. Here are all the details from multiple time zones.
US
- The main card starts April 8, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
- The prelims start April 8, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
- The early prelims start April 8, 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).
UK
- The main card starts April 9, 3 a.m. GMT.
- The prelims start April 9, 1 a.m. GMT.
- The early prelims start April 8, 11 p.m. GMT.
Australia
- The main card starts April 9, 12 p.m. AEDT.
- The prelims start April 9, 10 a.m. AEDT.
- The early prelims start April 9, 8 a.m. AEDT.
Main Event start time
It’s hard to say exactly when the main event will take place, but if you’re looking to only watch the fight between Pereira vs. Adesanya, you should jump on at 11.30 p.m ET (8.30 p.m. PT) to make sure you don’t miss out.
How to watch UFC 287
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 watch UFC 287, 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:
- Existing annual ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $75.
- New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of one UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $100. This is a decent deal. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal.
You can do all of the above at the link below.
MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 287 exclusively through BT Sport.
BT Sport has the rights to UFC PPVs in the UK.
There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 287 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also stream via Kayo for AU$55. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox. I usually buy direct from the UFC website.
You can check out the PPV on Kayo in Australia.
Full fight card
Main card
- Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez
Prelims
- Chris Curtis vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- Michael Chiesa vs. TBA
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman
Early prelims
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Loopy Godinez
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia
- Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes
How to watch the UFC 287 online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view UFC 287 locally, you may need a different way to watch the octagon action — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. With a VPN, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop, allowing you to get access to those US, UK or Australian viewing options for UFC 287 listed above from almost anywhere in the world.
It’s also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and adds an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins when travelling or connecting to a public Wi-Fi network.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing its terms of service or blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Quick tips for streaming UFC 287 using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming UFC 287 may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
