UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira; Esparza vs. Weili: Preview, complete fight schedule, details on significant statistics

Two eagerly awaited championship bouts will be the main events of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) return on Sunday at the UFC 281 event in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Israel Adesanya, the current UFC middleweight champion, will face No. 5 rated contender and former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in the main event.

In kickboxing matches held in 2016 and 2017, Adesanya had faced Pereira twice and lost both times.

The co-main event pits former champion and No. 2 rated contender Zhang Weili against UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza, who will be making her first title defense.

Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira (middleweight)

Israel Adesanya

Record: 23-1-0
Height: 193 cm Weight: 83.9 kg
Reach: 203.2 cm
Last five results: W-W-W-L-W
15 wins by knockout, nil by submission
Debut: 2012 (MMA)
Defending middleweight champion

Alex Pereira

Record: 6 – 1 – 0
Height: 193 cm Weight: 83.9 kg
Reach: 200.7 cm
Last five results: W-W-W-W-W
5 wins by knockout, nil by submission
Debut: 2015 (MMA)
Ranked No.5 in middleweight

Israel Adesanya – key stats

Longest Active UFC Win Streak in Middleweight Division

Second Most Knockdowns in Middleweight History

Fourth Highest Significant Strike Defense Among Active Middleweights

Alex Pereira – key stats

Two-Time Performance of the Night Winner

Carla Esparza vs Zhang Weili (Women’s strawweight)

Carla Esparza

Record: 20 – 6 – 0
Height: 155 cm Weight: 52.2 kg
Reach: 160 cm
Last five results: W-W-W-W-W
4 wins by knockout, 4 by submission
Debut: 2011 (MMA)
Defending women’s strawweight champion

Zhang Weili

Record: 22 – 3 – 0
Height: 163 cm Weight: 52.2 kg
Reach: 160 cm
Last five results: W-L-L-W-W
11 wins by knockout, 7 by submission
Debut: 2018 (MMA)
Former strawweight champion and currently ranked No.2