The middleweight champion Alex Pereira defends his championship against former champion Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 287 on Saturday. This five-round fight is the main event of UFC 287 (10 p.m. ET), live from Miami’s Miami-Dade Arena.

Before facing Pereira, a former foe from their professional kickboxing days, Adesanya successfully defended the middleweight title five times. Before eventually switching to MMA at a time when Adesanya was already a rising star in the UFC, Pereira twice defeated Adesanya in kickboxing. Adesanya dominated the majority of the action at UFC 281 last November, but Pereira entered the fight late and went on to win with a surprise fifth-round knockout.

Before we get to that epic showdown, however, there are a handful of UFC 287 prop bets I’m dialed in on. Let’s take a closer look.

Top Prop Bets for UFC 287

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Michelle Waterson-Gomez (+150) vs. Luana Pinheiro (-175)

The Karate Hottie enters the octagon for the first time after getting married in an effort to halt a two-fight losing streak. Her lone victory since 2019 came against Angela Hill in a controversial split decision, a result that many had thought Hill had actually won.

Waterson-Gomez’s talents are deteriorating in plain sight at the age of 37 as her significant strikes per minute have fallen to just 3.6 while she absorbs 4.09 per minute. With just 1.43 takedowns per 15 minutes and a takedown accuracy of 33%, her ground game, which had previously been the strongest aspect of her game, is also missing in this encounter.

Although she enters this bout eight years younger, DWCS alumna Luana Pinheiro is in the prime of her career and will try to become the most recent fighter to push Waterson-Gomez one fight closer to retirement.

Bet: Luana Pinheiro – By Decision (+110)

Gilbert Burns (-475) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+350)

Even if they appear to be comparable on paper, after the cage door closes, I believe it will be proven they are not.

Masvidal, 38, has been in the news more frequently recently for events unrelated to fighting than for fights themselves. Masvidal seems more comfortable with life after MMA than his life in it, whether it be due to his current legal difficulties with Colby Covington or the association of his name with celebrity boxing contests. That’s what the circulating rumors about his impending retirement from fighting suggest.

Unfortunately for him, he draws Burns, who, at #4 in the division, I believe will be vying for the welterweight title once more in the not-too-distant future with a decisive victory here. Burns has gone 2-1 with the promotion since dropping his first championship chance to Kamaru Usman in 2021, with his lone defeat coming when he stepped in on short notice to fight Khamzat Chimaev.

Burns demonstrated how resilient he was by narrowly losing that decision, making a world-beater appear quite pedestrian in a three-round battle. With much to prove, Burns gets in and out early in this spot.

Bet: Gilbert Burns – Inside the Distance (-105)

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Johnny is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his free UFC picks newsletter and follow him @JohnnyCovers.