The bookies have no love for Polish power.
No. 3-ranked light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev is -240 betting favorite to capture the 205-pound title by defeating No. 2-ranked former champion Jan Blachowicz (+200) when they go to war atop the UFC 282 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., Dec. 10, 2022 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s according to Draft Kings.
Their bout was elevated from title eliminator to title fight when then-champion Jiri Prochazka blew out his shoulder and was forced to surrender the strap. Ex-champion Glover Teixeira was unwilling to accept a new opponent on short notice (more on that story here) and will instead head to the sidelines to await his next assignment.
Ankalaev (17-1) is the winner of nine straight with five nasty finishes, including last summer’s technical knockout victory over veteran bruiser Anthony Smith. The 29-9 Blachowicz captured six of his last seven and rebounded from his championship loss to the aforementioned Teixeira by outlasting the injured Aleksandar Rakic back in May.
Elsewhere on the UFC 282 fight card, Darren Till (+120) and Dricus Du Plessis (-140) collide for a spot in the middleweight title chase. In addition, former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (+310) trades leather with 170-pound brawler Santiago Ponzinibbio (-380) not long after Jared Gordon (+160) and Paddy Pimblett (-190) hook ‘em up at 155 pounds.
For the rest of the UFC 282 fight card and PPV lineup click here.