It is not hard to see why Teixeira said no to a short-notice fight versus Ankalaev. The best UFC betting sites have favored Ankalaev in all ten of his UFC fights. He has never been given odds tighter than -205. Also he is a bull dozer at 205 pounds. He is riding a nine-fight winning streak. He is showing no signs of ever slowing down. However, there ias hope for Blachowicz still. The Polish mixed martial artist is a +200 underdog at the best online sportsbooks.
That is a position that he is used to. In the UFC, Blachowicz has a record of 6-4 as a favorite and a record of 10-2 as an underdog. His resume is filled with upset wins against Aleksander Rakic (+170), Israel Adesanya (+215), Dominick Reyes (+205), Corey Anderson (+185) and Luke Rockhold (+195).
UFC 282, the promotion’s last pay-per-view event of 2022, is going to be a off the charts when Jan Blachowicz (29-9, 12-6 UFC) and Magomed Ankalaev (18-1, 9-1 UFC) come face to face and do battle for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.
The original main event pitting the champion Jiri Prochazka against the challenger Glover Teixeira was cancelled as a result of an injury on Prochazka’s part. When Teixeira refused an interim title match versus Ankalaev, the UFC went to Blachowicz versus Ankalaev for a new 5-round main event.
The card is slated to take place on December 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Preliminary action will be starting at 6 p.m. ET, and the main card will begin at 10 p.m. The best betting sites currently have the up-and-comer Ankalaev as a -265 favorite.
UFC 282 Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev Odds by BetOnline
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Blachowicz | +200 |
| Ankalaev | -265 |
Ankalaev and Blachowicz have similar profiles as fighters. The two guys are solid striker/wrestler types – with one clear difference. Jan is really a one-punch power hitter, whereas Magomed is cagey and explosive.
Blachowicz’s best bet is to be working tight, clinching and firing heavily when the two brawlers break. A slugfest would really favor Jan’s vaunted “Polish Power” and Ankalaev can become overwhelmed by the quick volume.
That is how Thiago Santos went on to knock the Russian down for the first time ever at UFC Vegas 50. Jan Blachowicz is going to be Ankalaev’s toughest challenge to date. In spite of clashing with some terrifying opponents, the Pole has not been finished more than twice in his UFC career, even though 7 of his last 10 bouts have ended UNDER 2.5 rounds.
This is going to be Jan’s seventh straight fight as a main eventer. In 5-round events, Blachowicz has gone 5-2, and five of those matches have gone UNDER 2.5 rounds. Jan’s past 3 fights have been against Aleksander Rakic (won by technical knockout), Glover Teixeira (lost by submission) and Israel Adesanya (won by unanimous decision).
Standing up, the stats tell us that Ankalaev is the superior defender. He absorbs just 2.14 significant strikes per minute (as compared to Jan’s 2.77). He protects himself from 60% of his opponent’s significant strikes (as compared to Jan’s 54%).
From a grappling point of view, Blachowicz is by far better than Ankalaev at getting takedowns, even though the Russian has a flawless 86% takedown denial rate. Magomed tends to be a slow starter who eventually warms up to fights as he picks at his opponent and finds weaknesses.
He is patient and technically sound, which affords him a great advantage if he manages to keep his distance. That is the reason why 4 of his 9 UFC wins have been by decision. Before an injury-related win over Anthony Smith at UFC 277, Ankalaev was on a streak of 3 straight decision wins.
He has yet to veritably knock out a legitimate foe in the UFC, and his early knockouts were against journeymen fighters. Ankalaev’s past 3 fights have been against Smith (won by technical knockout), Santos (won by unanimous decision) and Volkan Oezdemir (won by unanimous decision).
Pick: Ankalaev To Win (-265); OVER 2.5 Rounds (TBD)
UFC 282 Pimblett vs Gordon Odds by BetOnline
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gordon | +200 |
| Pimblett | -250 |
Lightweight “Paddy The Baddy” (19-3, 3-0 UFC) is one of the UFC’s most popular mixed martial artists, and after the main event was changed, he will now tangle with Jared Gordon (19-5, 7-4 UFC) as the UFC 282 co-main event.
Pick: Pimblett Inside The Distance (TBD); UNDER 2.5 Rounds (TBD)
UFC 282 Ponzinibbio vs. LawlerOdds by BetOnline
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Lawler | +200 |
| Ponzinibbio | -250 |
Pick: Lawler To Win (+300); OVER 2.5 Rounds (TBD)
