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There may not be such a thing as official majors in the sport of mixed martial arts, similar to that of golf or tennis, but Saturday's UFC 281 card from New York's Madison Square Garden is certainly starting to feel like one

With a pair of title fights atop the marquee, along with a star-studded lightweight bout that could produce the next title challenger, the promotion's sixth trip to "the world's most famous arena" since MMA was legalized by the state of New York in 2016 is certainly among the most anticipated fight cards of 2022. 

Let's take a closer look at the biggest storylines entering this weekend's event. 

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1. Israel Adesanya must conquer his ghost of kickboxing past

Outside of his close defeat in 2021 while challenging for the light heavyweight title, Adesanya (23-1) has been nothing short of perfect as a professional MMA fighter. The reigning UFC middleweight champion is 12-0 inside the Octagon at 185 pounds, including five defenses of his title. But less than a year before he made his UFC debut in 2018, Adesanya closed out his kickboxing career on the wrong side of a third-round knockout at the hands of Alex Pereira. In fact, the loss was the second in as many years to the Brazilian slugger, with both fights coming under the Glory of Heroes banner. Adesanya will finally get his shot at revenge on Saturday when he welcomes the challenge of the 35-year-old Pereira (6-1), who has been fast-tracked to a title shot after winning all three of his UFC fights after debuting one year ago. Just how much of a chance are the oddsmakers giving Pereira? Adesanya has closed as the betting favorite in all 13 of his UFC fights. But this time, the +140 underdog Pereira has the best odds at pulling an upset of any opponent during Adesanya's title reign. 

2. Adesanya's days as a middleweight could be numbered

Although Adesanya has yet to comment on his future beyond Pereira, given how difficult of a challenge he faces, there's reason to question whether a victory leaves "The Last Stylebender" with nothing left to accomplish at 185 pounds. Not only has Adesanya taken on every challenge available to him while atop the division, he fought Robert Whittaker -- whom he won the title from via knockout in 2019 -- a second time to ensure it wasn't a fluke. Adesanya came up just short last year in challenging Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title, with the size disparity between them largely proving to be the difference on the ground. Should Adesanya decide to build up his body properly for a full-time move up to the division, the opportunity to etch himself even deeper into the UFC record books as a two-division champion might be hard to pass up. He will need to dispatch Pereira first, of course, but there isn't a viable challenge left for him at middleweight should he stay. Rising contender Sean Strickland was recently knocked out by Pereira and unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev appears as if he will stay at welterweight despite recent weight-cutting issues. 

3. Spoiler alert: Dustin Poirier-Michael Chandler will be straight fire

One doesn't need a crystal ball to expect this lightweight tilt will be anything short of an all-action classic. Recent history within the 155-pound division states it's just about a guarantee that such a prediction will be true. Over the past seven years, UFC fans have been spoiled by the steady string of exciting fights produced by those who have dominated the top of the rankings over that time: Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira, just to name a few. If Islam Makhachev's recent demolition of Charles Oliveira in their October title bout taught us anything, it's that the division's new generation of stars are ready to take over. But not before two aging gunslingers who have yet to cross paths inside the Octagon finally do so, in a fight that could be contested for more than just bragging rights among action heroes. Despite recent campaigning from featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to get the first crack at Makhachev, both Poirier and Chandler know that a spectacular performance -- given their names and history -- could be enough to secure one final shot at undisputed UFC gold. 

4. Carla Esparza is still fighting for respect despite being champion

With so many big names on the card, it's only natural that at least one important fight might find itself flying below the radar entering UFC 281. But if we're being honest about Saturday's co-main event, a women's strawweight title bout pairing Esparza against former champion Zhang Weili, the hype has been non-existent. Most of the talk, in fact, has surrounded how most expect Zhang, a 4-to-1 betting favorite, to regain her title before preparing for a possible trilogy fight with former two-time champion Rose Namajunas. So, how did we get here? Whether or not it's Esparza's fault, exclusively, for how boring her title win was against Namajunas in their May rematch at UFC 274, it was a fight most fans wish to forget ever happened. Esparza, 35, the division's inaugural champion back in 2014, was showered with boos when announced as the winner, which dampened what should've been a memorably emotional moment. For a fighter riding a six-fight win streak, Esparza enters Saturday with a ton to prove about whether her status as champion is deserving. Four of Esparza's victories during this streak have come via split or majority decision. The "Cookie Monster" also enters the first defense of her second title reign as the betting underdog for the fifth time in her last six fights.  

5. Don't sleep on the Dominick Reyes redemption story

Idle for 17 months following a three-fight losing skid and multiple facial fractures suffered in his last loss, it's easy to forget that Reyes nearly ended Jon Jones' light heavyweight title reign just two years ago in a disputed defeat. But at 32, with a new team around him, Reyes will return to the Octagon during Saturday's preliminary card as a betting favorite to rebound against Ryan Spann. Although he came up just short against Jones, Reyes was seen as the G.O.A.T.'s natural successor at 205 pounds after Jones vacated his title to move up to heavyweight. But Reyes was stopped by Blachowicz in their vacant title bout five months later before being brutally finished by current champion Jiri Prochazka after that. The native of California took things to extreme measures during his time away, moving his camp to that of Glover Teixeira's in Connecticut where he trains alongside the likes of Brazilian fighters Pereira and Wellington Turman. Reyes might seem out of sight and out of mind as it pertains to the division's rankings of late, but a win over Spann could catapult him back into contention.  

Who wins Adesanya vs. Pereira? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 281, all from the incomparable expert who's up more than $13,000 on MMA in the past three years, and find out.