It appeared Magomed Ankalaev overcame significant leg injuries to defeat Jan Blachowicz, persevering to win the UFC light heavyweight championship.
After the fight, Blachowicz even congratulated Ankalaev for beating him.
Everyone seemed to agree that Ankalaev won. Except for the judges.
This was scored as a split draw by judges Mike Bell (48-47, Blachowicz), Derek Cleary (48-46, Ankalaev), and Sal D’Amato (47-47). There were a few head-scratching scores, particularly Cleary having Ankalaev winning round three. It was also very surprising that none of the judges had Ankalaev winning the first round.
This was a very good fight, but it will forever be soured by the decision. The final image is a teary-eyed Ankalaev walking out of the Octagon, crushed that he was deprived of his championship moment.
Powered by a dominant fourth round, Ankalaev (18-1-1) opened the fifth aggressively, bringing Blachowicz to the ground and capitalizing on his superior grappler. Blachowicz (29-9-1) appeared to have had the fight won in the third, when his constant, debilitating leg shots forced Ankalaev to switch stances and completely compromised his movement. Yet Ankalaev made the necessary adjustments in the championship rounds, winning both rounds en route to winning the title.
Ankalaev’s wrestling was the difference down the stretch, and he dominated the final 10 minutes of the fight. He had 11-plus minutes of control time, and more than two dozen significant strikes.
What happens next? Ankalaev and Blachowicz could run it back, or it could be Ankalaev against
Unfortunately, UFC 282 fizzled out in the end, ending with unfinished business in an unresolved main event.
Pimblett Wins by Unanimous Decision
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Paddy Pimblett defeated Jared Gordon in a fight much closer than the unanimous decision indicated.
This is the sixth win in a row for Pimblett (20-3), and his first on pay-per-view. But it was anything but easy. Gordon (19-6) was more efficient with his striking and landed three more takedowns than Pimblett, and it appeared clear that he won the first round–though, clearly, the judges scored that differently.
Gordon’s striking was the difference in the opening round. He landed multiple stiff strikes that clearly bothered Pimblett. Pimblett came alive in the second, both on his feet and on the ground. Gordon opened the third round with forward pressure, but there was limited action. That was a tough round to score, but judges ruled that Pimblett was the victor.
A loss would have been crushing for Pimblett. Gordon is a dangerous opponent, so it is certainly an important win, but he needed this win to keep rising in the division and potentially set up a boxing bout against Jake Paul. It wasn’t easy, but Pimblett’s rise continues.
Ponzinibbio’s Overhand Right Ends Morono's Streak
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Santiago Ponzinibbio snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, finishing Alex Morono in a tightly contested three-round bout.
Entering on a two-fight losing streak, and then losing the first two rounds on the scorecard, Ponzinibbio (29-6) executed a level change and then drilled Morono with an overhand right to win by TKO in the third round.
This was originally intended to be a welterweight bout, pitting Ponzinibbio against Robbie Lawler, but Lawler dropped out earlier in the week, leading to the catchweight 180-pound matchup. And it looked like Morono was about to get the win, even despite the short notice. Morono landed a vicious right hand in the final 10 seconds of the first round, but did not have the time to capitalize on it. He dropped Ponzinibbio again in the second round, then bided his time before connecting again in the third. His cardio held up, and he was in control until he got dropped in the third.
The loss ended a four-fight winning streak for Morono (22-8, 1 NC). Morono and his team expressed their frustration that the referee stoppage came prematurely, but this was the right call. It was not an early stoppage. Morono’s jaw was twisted sideways after Ponzinibbio’s overhand right, and then he took another shot to drop that left him defenseless on the ground. It is especially painful to lose with victory only two-and-a-half minutes away, but this was the right call.
Du Plessis Forces Till to Tap
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The UFC middleweight is about to have a new fighter in its top-10.
Dricus du Plessis extended his winning streak to six by defeating Darren Till in an outstanding bout. Du Plessis (18-2) earned himself a third-round submission victory, giving Till (18-5-1) an extremely tough loss.
Du Plessis (18-2) came out particularly strong, exerting his will through his grappling and takedowns. He exhausted himself during that stretch, and Till reasserted himself in the second round. It was anyone’s fight entering the third, but Du Plessis slid right into mount and landed a flurry of powerful shots before ending the fight with a rear-naked choke sub.
Till left the cage worried that he tore his ACL, which hopefully is not the case. As difficult of a loss as this was, especially with openings to win in the second round, it will be exponentially worse if Till now has to recover from another major.
Takedowns were a major difference for Du Plessis. Following this win, he is in line for a top-10 opponent in early 2023.
Topuria Makes a Statement Against Mitchell
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Ilia Topuria keeps his undefeated streak. Bryce Mitchell does not.
UFC 282 opened with a phenomenal bout, with Topuria (13-0) submitting Mitchell (15-1). Topuria had the advantage with his striking, which was expected, but he was also able to secure dominant positions on the ground. Topuria finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke, and he completely out-classed Mitchell in less than two rounds.
Topuria entered the bout ranked fourteenth in the featherweight division, but he is about to take a leap. He will undoubtedly jump Mitchell, who is ninth, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as high as sixth. That was a statement performance, one that elevates him one step closer to the title picture.
Rosas Jr. Wins Debut as Youngest Fighter in History
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Raul Rosas Jr. introduced himself to the fight world at UFC 282, and did so in memorable fashion.
Less than three minutes into his bout against Jay Perrin, Rosas (7-0) locked in a rear-naked choke to secure the victory by submission. He controlled the back of Perrin, putting forth a flawless performance. He never allowed Perrin (10-7) to place him in any peril, and he is an instant candidate for Fight of the Night performer.
Opening Round
UFC 282 isn’t featuring Jon Jones.
Or Jiri Prochazka. Or Glover Teixeira.
But there is still excitement in the desert air for tonight’s pay-per-view.
Headlined by Jan Blachowicz against Magomed Ankalaev, a new light heavyweight champion will be crowned this evening. And while it is not outstanding, this card is solid. Paddy Pimblett seeks to keep his hype train running against Jared Gordon in the co-main event, but the fight of the night should be the main card opener between Ilia Topurira and Bryce Mitchell.
Topuria and Mitchell are both undefeated. Someone is taking their first loss tonight, while the winner is bound to jump significantly in the featherweight rankings. The prelims feature 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., who is spending a weekend away from school to make his UFC pay-per-view debut against Jay Perrin.
The card should build well nicely the main event. Blachowicz is a former champion, but Anakalaev has been a wrecking ball amid his current nine fight win streak. Another fighting prodigy from the Russian republic of Dagestan, Ankalaev looks to bring even more gold back home.
