Once upon a time, Zhang Weili was the UFC women’s strawweight champion. Weili defeated Jessica Andrade to win the crown. And she successfully defended her UFC betting title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. But Weili lost two consecutive bouts against Rose Namajunas to blow the title. She gets a chance to win back the belt against Carla Esparza on Saturday. Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya has been firmly ensconced as the middleweight champion. Adesanya has six consecutive title defense wins. Now Adesanya goes for his seventh defense against Alex Pereira. Saturday’s loaded main card is on ESPN+ from Madison Square Garden.
UFC 281 Adesanya vs. Pereira – Main Card
| Date and Time: | Saturday, November 12, 2022, 10 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN+ |
Middleweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Israel Adesanya | -165 |
| Alex Pereira | +140 |
Israel Adesanya has a career sportsbook record of 23-1. In comparison, Alex Pereira stands at 6-1 in his career.
Specifically, the only loss of Israel Adesanya’s career was to Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title on March 6, 2021. Adesanya has never lost a middleweight bout. And he has successfully defended his middleweight championship six times.
Israel Adesanya has won three consecutive bouts. Last time out was a unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier on July 2, 2022. On February 12, 2022, Adesanya won a unanimous decision against Robert Whittaker. And on June 12, 2021, Adesanya defeated Marvin Vettori by a unanimous decision.
Late on, Alex Pereira is riding a six-bout winning streak. He is coming off a 1st-round knockout win over Sean Strickland on July 2, 2022. Previously on March 12, 2022, Pereira won a unanimous decision against Bruno Silva. And then, on November 6, 2021, Pereira won a 2nd-round technical knockout against Andreas Michailidis.
Women’s Strawweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Carla Esparza | TBD |
| Zhang Weili | TBD |
Overall, Carla Esparza has a career record of 20-6. Zhang Weili has a career mark of 22-3.
Late on, Carla Esparza has won six consecutive bouts. And she is coming off a split decision win over Rose Namajunas for the women’s strawweight title on May 7, 2022.
Last time out for Zhang Weili was on June 11, 2022, against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Weili won a 2nd-round knockout. As mentioned earlier, Weili had lost twice to Rose Namajunas before that.
Lightweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dustin Poirier | -175 |
| Michael Chandler | +150 |
Dustin Poirier has a career record of 28-7 with the UFC Betting odds. In turn, Michael Chandler has a career record of 23-7.
Last time out for Dustin Poirier was a 3rd-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira on December 11, 2021. Poirier won his three bouts before that. Of great concern is that Michael Chandler has dropped two of his previous three fights.
Bantamweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Frankie Edgar | +175 |
| Chris Gutierrez | -205 |
On the whole, Frankie Edgar has a career record of 23-10-1. Counter to that is Chris Gutierrez at 18-3-2 for his career.
Lightweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dan Hooker | -155 |
| Claudio Puelles | +135 |
To summarize, Dan Hooker is 21-12 in his career. Claudio Puelles is 13-2 in his career.
UFC 281 SBG Free Picks
As was previously noted, Israel Adesanya has a record of championship reliability that is impossible to ignore. And Zhang Weili has struggled at the championship level. Certainly, Carla Esparza is in top form.
UFC 281 SBG Best Bets: Israel Adesanya and Carla Esparza.