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UFC 282: Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It will take place on December 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.


Fight card

Main card

Light Heavyweight Jan Błachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev Light Heavyweight Championship
Lightweight Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon
Middleweight Darren Till vs. Dricus du Plessis
Featherweight Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria

Preliminary card (ESPN2 / ESPN+)

Heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus
Bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Jay Perrin
Middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
Middleweight Chris Curtis vs. Joaquin Buckley

Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)

Featherweight Billy Quarantillo vs. Alexander Hernandez
Featherweight T.J. Brown vs. Erik Silva
Flyweight Vinicius Salvador vs. Daniel da Silva
Bantamweight Cameron Saaiman vs. Steven Koslow


Background

A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch between then current champion Jiří Procházka (also former Rizin Light Heavyweight Champion) and former champion Glover Teixeira was originally expected to headline the event. The pair previously met at UFC 275 in June, with Procházka winning the back and forth fight (and championship) by submission in the fifth round. However, on November 23, Procházka pulled out due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery and at least six months of rehabilitation. He decided to vacate the title, and Teixeira subsequently refused a replacement fight against Magomed Ankalaev. Therefore, the co-main event bout between former champion Jan Błachowicz (also former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion) and Ankalaev was promoted to the main event status and arranged for the vacant championship.

A heavyweight bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Chris Daukaus was originally scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan, but it was moved to this event for unknown reasons.

Promotional newcomer Bo Nickal was expected to face Jamie Pickett in a middleweight bout. However, it was announced in late October that Nickal withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.

A light heavyweight bout between former title challengers Alexander Gustafsson and Ovince Saint Preux (Saint Preux for the interim) was expected to take place at the event. However, Gustafsson withdrew due to an undisclosed reason and was replaced by 2018 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Philipe Lins. In turn, Lins withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed reason and was replaced by Antonio Trocoli. However, Trocoli withdrew due to visa issues. A replacement opponent is currently being sought by the promotion.

A bantamweight bout between Cameron Saaiman and Ronnie Lawrence was expected to take place at the event. However, Lawrence withdrew for unknown reasons the week before the event and was replaced by promotional newcomer Steven Koslow.

A welterweight bout between former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler and Santiago Ponzinibbio was expected to take place at the event. The pairing was previously scheduled to meet at UFC 245 in 2019 but Ponzinibbio withdrew due to a staph infection. However, the week of the event, the bout fell through again as Lawler was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by Alex Morono at a catchweight of 180 pounds.

After a wild turn of events that saw former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka relinquish his title due to a shoulder injury, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fill the main event slot and battle for the vacant strap.

Blachowicz is a former champion himself, holding the light heavyweight title as recent as October of last year, up until losing it to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267. Ankalaev has slowly climbed his way to the top of the division, amassing nine straight victories dating back to 2018.

In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett can improve to 4-0 inside the Octagon against Jared Gordon, who is coming off an impressive win over Leonardo Santos at UFC 278 in August.

The rest of the card features numerous UFC veterans, as well as a highly anticipated featherweight matchup between grappler Bryce Mitchell and the hard-hitting Ilia Topuria.

As fight night approaches, here’s the biggest reasons why you should tune in to UFC 282: Błachowicz vs Ankalaev:


Return Of Legendary Polish Power

One half of UFC 282’s headliner features Poland’s Jan Blachowicz, a hard-hitting light heavyweight that’s stopped many elite athletes and past champions. The former champ is most recently coming off a TKO victory against Aleksandar Rakić, who suffered a knee injury early in the third round.

Before that, Blachowicz lost his light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira, Prochazka’s original opponent before their cancellation from the event. So, although his last two performances weren’t as electric as some in the past, let’s not forget how dominant Blachowicz was and still is in the UFC light heavyweight division.

Flashback to July 2019, when Blachowicz squared off with former champion Luke Rockhold. Early in the second round, Blachowicz broke away from the clinch and landed a massive left hook that sent Rockhold flying to the mat. This was the start of the “legendary Polish Power.”

Six months later, Blachowicz was back in the Octagon against Corey Anderson, someone he faced and lost to five years earlier. This time around, Blachowicz exacted his revenge the best way he knows how, a huge right that ended the fight as soon as it landed.

Blachowicz continued his rise, defeating former title challenger Dominick Reyes in dominant fashion to win the vacant light heavyweight title, then defending the strap and spoiling Israel Adesanya’s quest to become a two-division champion.

Jan Blachowicz has an opportunity to reclaim light heavyweight gold Saturday, December 10, at UFC 282 against Magomed Ankalaev.


Rising Stars Hit The Main Stage

Captivating English fans twice at the O2 Arena in London, Paddy Pimblett gets an opportunity to do the same in Las Vegas, when he looks for his fourth consecutive victory inside the Octagon in the co-main event at UFC 282.

When Pimblett comes to town, it’s not just a fight, but a spectacle. One of the most entertaining fighters on the UFC roster, Pimblett’s fun personality, accompanied with exceptional results make him a fan favorite and a contender to watch out for in the lightweight division. At UFC 282, he faces Jared Gordon, who’s won four of his last five since suffering a loss to former 155-pound champ Charles Oliveira in 2019.

Even though he won’t be in his native England, expect many fans at T-Mobile Arena to be on their feet when Pimblett dances his way to the Octagon.

Also on the main card, Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria square off in a highly anticipated featherweight matchup. Mitchell has won 15 of his 16 professional mixed martial arts bouts and is coming off his most impressive win to date against Edson Barboza, where he showed off more than just his grappling.

Mitchell has nine submissions in his career, none better than his win against Matt Sayles in 2019, where he won via twister, only the second in UFC history. The submission won UFC Honors’ Submission of the Year.

Topuria, despite starting his career as a grappling-heavy fighter, has shown destructive power on the feet in his last three outings, defeating Jai Herbert, Ryan Hall and Damon Jackson all by vicious knockout. In March, Topuria showed that he can withstand some damage before dealing his own. After losing the first round to Herbert, Topuria landed a massive right that sent Herbert flying to the mat. This terrifying power makes his matchup with an elite grappler in Mitchell a must see for any fight fan.

Also, recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad Raul Rosas Jr. makes his UFC debut against Jay Perrin. The 18-year-old is the youngest athlete currently in the UFC and has high aspirations of becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, a record currently held by Jon Jones at 23.


Veteran Favorite Till Returns To The Octagon

Darren Till makes his return to the Octagon after a 15-month layoff. Taking the UFC by storm in 2015, Till defeated legend Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson to cap off a six-fight unbeaten run, making him next in line to challenge then-champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 232.

Suffering defeat via submission in the second round, Till will try to get his career back on the right trajectory against relative newcomer Dricus Du Plessis. The South African has won all three of his UFC bouts, each better than the last, and will try and earn a place in the Top 10 at 185 pounds if he can stop the former title challenger.


Big Names Fill The Rest Of The Card

If you thought all the athletes just covered wasn’t enough, big names and popular UFC athletes take up the rest of the main card and prelims.

The featured prelim features a heavyweight matchup between No. 9 Jairzinho Rozenstruik and No. 11 Chris Daukaus. Both fighters were unsuccessful in their last two Octagon appearances, but with 11 knockouts to each of their names, it may be safe to assume that this fight won’t be going the distance.

To kick off the prelims, No. 14 middleweight contender Chris Curtis squares off with Joaquin Buckley. Curtis comes off a loss to Jack Hermansson in July but was riding an eight-fight win streak including six KO finishes. Buckley also enters this contest coming off a loss, but his highlight reel, which includes his epic spinning back kick against Impa Kasanganay, speaks for itself, making this matchup a highly intriguing battle between powerful strikers.

Another great day of fights and unexpected turn of events ...