The UFC returns to Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena this weekend for UFC 282 where the newly-vacated light heavyweight title will be on the line as Jan Blachowicz takes on Magomed Ankalaev in the main event.
Originally set to be the co-main event for the card, now former champion Jiri Prochazka suffered an injury and was forced to relinquish the belt which saw Glover Teixeira drop off the card, with this fight now taking place for the belt rather than the number one contender status.
We'll also see the UK's own Paddy Pimblett make his USA debut in front of a crowd when he fights Jared Gordon, while the card also features the likes of Santiago Ponzinibbio, Darren Till, Ilia Topuria, Bryce Mitchell and more.
We'll take a look at the main event and provide you with our best free UFC picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while watching an incredible fight card.
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UFC 282 Information
- Saturday, December 10th, 2022
- T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Main card starts 10pm ET
- Light Heavyweight Championship bout (205-pounds)
- 5 x 5 minute rounds
Jan Blachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev
This is a huge fight in the light heavyweight division to crown the next champion of the weight class, following the sudden forced vacation of the title by former champion Prochazka.
Blachowicz has held the belt previously, claiming a then-vacant belt by knocking out Dominick Reyes in Abu Dhabi at UFC 253 after Jon Jones vacated the belt to move up to heavyweight.
He successfully defended the championship at UFC 259 when he claimed a dominant decision win over former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, before losing the title when he was submitted by Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in October 2021.
His most recent bout saw him get back in the win column when he beat the highly rated Aleksandar Rakic via third-round TKO after he suffered a leg injury that meant he was unable to continue.
Blachowicz has a professional record of 29-9 with nine wins by knockout and nine wins by submission over the course of his career.
Ankalaev on the other hand has had a hugely dominant run in the UFC, with his only loss to date coming against Paul Craig way back at UFC London in 2018.
Since then he has won nine-in-a-row, including finishes against Marcin Prachnio, Dalcha Lungiambula, Ion Cutelaba (twice) and Anthony Smith most recently when he suffered a broken ankle in the first-round of their fight. He also defeated Nikita Krylov, Volkan Oezdemir and Thiago Santos via unanimous decision in his run.
His professional record stands at 18-1 with ten knockouts in his career, and this will be his first title shot in the UFC.
Route to victory
This is an interesting fight between two guys who are more than dangerous wherever the fight ends up, but would both prefer for the fight to take place in opposite realms.
Blachowicz is a powerful striker with decent boxing technique, strong low kicks and a granite chin, but he's at his best when he can use his wrestling to ground his opponent and land devastating ground and pound while controlling position.
Ankalaev on the other hand is a stunning striker with excellent power, speed and technique, but as a Dagestani native he is also a fantastic grappler with sensational wrestling and control abilities in that sector.
It really comes down to who will be able to assert themselves as the dominant force and make their opponent go backwards to know who will win this fight.
Blachowicz will want to keep Ankalaev moving and use his size to slow the fight down in clinches, while knowing that if he can land one big punch flush then he has the ability to end the night early.
Ankalaev alternatively will want to press the action with lots of kicks and ensure that he maintains good distance to be able to avoid those clinch situations, and also stay out shooting distance in case Blachowicz wants to wrestle so he can avoid ending up in bottom position.
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UFC Picks: Ankalaev gets it done
Ankalaev has been the uncrowned champion of the division for a while now, dominating everyone that has been put in front of him and being part of that Dagestani clan that involves the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and more.
HIs striking is so unbelievably crisp and accurate, and the speed is terrifying for someone his size. It shouldn't be ignored either that a much older and less seasoned striker in Glover Teixeira was able to land clean and often on Blachowicz to hurt him before he got submitted.
That path to victory is more than likely to happen again here, although Ankalaev isn't someone who tends to push forward and take unnecessary risks if he doesn't feel like he has to.
Blachowicz will start fast almost certainly, trying to blitz Ankalaev out of there, but should he fail to get a big win inside the first five minutes then I expect Ankalaev to take over down the stretch and earn the win on the cards to become undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world.
UFC picks: Magomed Ankalaev to win @ -255
UFC picks: Magomed Ankalaev to win via Decision @ TBA
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