UFC 282 Preview
The UFC is heading back to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 282. The main event will be for the light heavyweight title between former champion #2 Jan Blachowicz and rising contender #4 Magomed Ankalaev.
Blachowicz and Ankalaev were originally scheduled to be the co-main event of the evening with the winner being the next to challenge for the title. However, current champion Jiri Prochazka was forced to pull out of his main event title fight with Glover Texeira due to a shoulder injury. Prochazka graciously vacated the belt rather than hold up the division and it has been said that Texeira was offered a fight with Ankalaev, but he turned it down. Blachowicz and Ankalaev will now battle to see who the best light heavyweight in the world is.
Blachowicz lost the title to Texeira at UFC 267 last October but rebounded well with a win over Aleksandar Rakic by TKO in May. The 39-year-old is ready to take advantage of the opportunity that has been opened up at UFC 282, and become a two-time champion.
“Early Christmas gift – I enjoy it – It is what it is,” Blachowicz said. “I was last to know. I was in the plane when everything happened. … I cannot believe at first. … I think I deserve this fight after (Aleksandar) Rakic, but Jiri wants to take a rematch with Glover (Teixeira) so I have to wait, do one more fight. But the universe work with me very well. I with Jiri the best recovery, but I will take my chance and be the champion again.”
The Polish fighter is no stranger to fighting for a vacated belt and in his first opportunity he took full advantage after Jon Jones vacated the title. “It’s not my fault,” Blachowicz said. “I want to fight against Jon Jones, but he don’t want to fight against me. Nobody know what he’s doing right now. Also I wanted to fight against Jiri, but he wanted the rematch. Now it’s injury, so it’s not my fault. This is not what I choose, but it is what it is. It’s the championship. This is most important thing for me.”
Blachowicz is well aware of the threat that Ankalaev brings to the fight. “Look at his record, 17-1, nine-win streak – so it’s time to stop it and make his record 17-2,” Blachowicz said. “But for sure he’s one of the best. I have a lot of respect for his skills and it’s going to be a tough fight. I expect tough fight, and I’m ready for this tough fight.”
Should he win on Saturday, Blachowicz is ready for any challenge. “After Saturday I won’t fight against Jiri,” Blachowicz said. “He don’t want to fight against me. He choose different fight, not me. So I’m ready for him when he’s going to be healthy. … It’s natural way. I believe I’m going to be next … Glover will be the best matchup for me in the title defense again, and this time I will prove that I can beat him.”
Aside from Rakic, Blachowicz has key victories in his career over Israel Adesanya, Dominick Reyes, Corey Anderson, Ronaldo Souza, Luke Rockhold, Nikita Krylov, Jimi Manuwa and Jared Cannonier. A win on Saturday would put Blachowicz in an elite group of two-time champion elite light heavyweights and it will prove his pundits that he can have another career resurgence.
Ankalaev has won nine straight fights and most recently defeated former title challenger Anthony Smith by TKO in July at UFC 277. The win was his third straight win over a former title challenger, and he will now have the opportunity to defeat a former champion to become the light heavyweight title holder.
The 30-year-old is ready to prove the world that he is the real light heavyweight champion. “The day has finally arrived – the day we have waited for, for so long – we will show what we’re worth this Saturday, we will come and take what’s rightfully ours,” Ankalaev said. “I basically did step-by-step. I pretty much knew at some point they would not have a choice to give me a title fight.”
The Russian fighter commented on the man standing his way on Saturday. “I can’t say anything bad about Blachowicz as an opponent,” Ankalaev said. “He’s a great fighter. He’s a great guy. But the thing is, this fight is my dream. This is my opportunity. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure I come out of that octagon with the title.”
Like Blachowicz, Ankalaev is ready to defend against any fighter should he become champion. “I’m here – I’m not trying to go anywhere,” Ankalaev said. “So once I get this title, I’m not trying to escape. I’m going to stand here and wait for anybody who is ready to fight. Anybody who wants to take that title off of my belt, I will make sure to fight as many times as I can.”
In addition to Smith, Ankalaev has key victories over Thiago Santos, Volkan Oezdemir, Nikita Kryloz, and Ion Cutelaba (twice). If he wins on Saturday, he will become the third champion from Dagestan in the UFC.
The rest of the main card on PPV:
Lightweight - Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon
Catchweight (180 lb) - Alex Morono vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Middleweight - #10 Darren Till vs. #14 Dricus du Plessis
Featherweight - #9 Bryce Mitchell vs. #14 Ilia Topuria
ESPN + Prelims:
Heavyweight - #9 Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. #11 Chris Daukaus
Bantamweight - Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Jay Perrin
Middleweight - Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
Middleweight - #15 Chris Curtis vs. Joaquin Buckley
ESPN +/ UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims:
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
