UFC 282: Blachowicz vs Ankalaev: Full main card prediction, preview, and latest betting odds

Blachowicz vs Ankalaev: UFC 282 will take place on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the main event, former champion Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev will square off for the vacant light heavyweight championship after Jiri Prochazka recently gave up the title due to injury. Let us look at the main card prediction, preview, and latest betting odds. Follow UFC News updates with InsideSport.In

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UFC 282: Blachowicz vs Ankalaev: Full main card preview and prediction

Main event: Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Of the two, Blachowicz has more excellent professional experience. After Jon Jones retired in 2020, the Polish striker defeated Dominick Reyes to claim the championship. After successfully defending it against Israel Adesanya, he lost it to Teixeira the following year. Since then, the Pole has defeated Aleksandar Rakic while suffering from a knee ailment to put himself back in the running.

The Polish fighter has a ramrod jab and an excellent technical strike, and that’s all he has going for him. While his takedown defense and grappling are somewhat undervalued, they are also significant weaknesses in his strategy that Teixeira successfully exploited.

Even while Ankalaev has yet to defeat opponents of the same caliber as Blachowicz entirely, he is perhaps more well-rounded. Although the native of Dagestan has defeated Volkan Oezdemir, Thiago Santos, and Anthony Smith, he has only been the main attraction at one UFC event. Ankalaev is an excellent grappler who typically brings his opponent to the ground. He is vicious with his ground and pound from the top and a heavy-handed, erratic striker on his feet.

Ankalaev can set up his takedowns with his blows since he is not a one-dimensional grappler. There is no question that he will be able to take down the Polish fighter if he can get inside of him. Since Blachowicz is almost 40 and the Dagestani is in the prime of his career, it isn’t easy to imagine the previous champion winning this match again.

Ankalaev defeats Blachowicz via third-round submission.

Against the +225 underdog Blachowicz, Ankalaev is the -265 favorite, according to live odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. As a result, a $265 wager on the Russian yields a profit of $100. A $100 bet on the Polish boxer will turn into $225 if he wins, in contrast, as Blachowicz is now listed as a +225 underdog.

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UFC 282 co-main event: Paddy Pimblett vs Jared Gordon

Jared Gordon has more octagon experience and a record of 7-4, but he hasn’t defeated anyone noteworthy outside of the aging Leonardo Santos. More importantly, he has been dominated by each of his top four opponents, most recently by Grant Dawson in April of this year.

Pimblett, on the other side, is currently 3-0 after defeating Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt and eliminating Luigi Vendramini. He has demonstrated that he is a highly dynamic grappler and a willing attacker.

Overall, Pimblett should have no trouble winning this battle. There is no reason why he can’t finish his opponent the same way he did to Leavitt a few months ago because he is far more explosive and dynamic than Gordon.

Paddy Pimblett defeats Jared Gordon via first-round submission.

Paddy is the -200 favorite to beat Gordan, who is the +190 underdog, according to DraftKings. Paddy (-200) placed a $100 wager to win $150. However, things can change as the games close in.

UFC 282: Darren Till vs Dricus du Plessis

Darren Till makes a comeback to take on Dricus du Plessis in a middleweight contest. This fight should reveal whether Till is a legitimate contender at 185 pounds, making it intriguing.

Nobody can deny “The Gorilla’s formidable strength or striking ability. The fact that he typically fights at such a low output that his opponents are never out of a fight and the reality that his takedown defense hasn’t looked great are significant factors.

In any case, Dricus du Plessis will not test him there. He prefers to strike quickly and has prevailed in all three UFC matches. However, his aggressiveness might work against him in this battle. Till is a skilled counter striker with a lot of strength, and if an opponent approaches him, he can outwork them.

Darren Till defeats Dricus du Plessis via TKO.

The Gorilla enters the battle as the underdog in the betting despite being the better-ranked and more seasoned of the two. Till is the underdog (+120) in the matchup with Dricus Du Plessis. The South African, however, is the favorite at -140.

Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria

The featherweight match between Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria should be thrilling. Mitchell has five victories in the octagon, including one over Edson Barboza, and is still unbeaten in professional mixed martial arts.

Topuria is a strong fighter who is equally adept at striking and grappling. Even if his four octagon victories don’t compare to Mitchell’s, he is unbeaten and has four wins.

Both outcomes are possible in this one, but Mitchell most likely has the better arsenal. As one of the most dangerous grapplers in the game, “Thug Nasty” should prevail if he can escape Topuria’s colossal shot.

Bryce Mitchell defeats Ilia Topuria via submission.

According to betting markets, Ilia Topuria has a 58.33% chance of winning this bout on December 10, 2022. Additionally, betting markets predict that Bryce Mitchell will win this fight with an indicated probability of 45.45%. The Over 0.5 rounds are set at -1200 odds for the total rounds market (for example, o/u). The odds on the Over 1.5 rounds are 240.

UFC 282 full fight card

Just 5 days until #UFC282!

🏆 Jan Błachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev
💥 Paddy Pimblett vs Jared Gordon
👊 Darren Till vs Dricus du Plessis pic.twitter.com/eCthRls5EI

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 5, 2022