The UFC airy heavyweight rubric volition beryllium up for grabs this play -- adjacent without the participants who were primitively scheduled to conflict for the gold.
Former champion Jan Blachowicz volition instrumentality connected Magomed Ankalaev successful the main lawsuit of UFC 282 connected Saturday successful Las Vegas. The victor volition instrumentality location the vacant UFC 205-pound title. Jiri Prochazka gave up the loop due to the fact that of a enarthrosis wounded and his scheduled challenger (and erstwhile champ) Glover Teixeira is apt adjacent successful enactment for the Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev winner.
Blachowicz and Ankalaev were expected to combat successful the co-main lawsuit successful a rubric eliminator, but present they volition vie successful a five-round combat for the title.
Blachowicz (29-9) has won six of his past 7 fights. The Polish fighter's lone nonaccomplishment during that clip came against Teixeira, who bushed Blachowicz for the rubric astatine UFC 267 successful October 2021. Blachowicz, 39, knocked retired Dominick Reyes to triumph the rubric astatine UFC 253 successful September 2020 and past successfully support it against Israel Adesanya astatine UFC 259 successful March 2021.
Ankalaev (18-1) has won 9 successful a row. The Dagestan-born combatant is coming disconnected a second-round TKO of Anthony Smith astatine UFC 277 successful July. Ankalaev, 30, has conscionable 1 UFC loss, successful his debut combat against Paul Craig successful 2018, a bout successful which helium was winning until Craig caught him successful a triangle choke with 1 2nd near successful the fight.
In the co-main event, instrumentality favourite Paddy Pimblett volition look Jared Gordon successful a lightweight matchup. Pimblett (19-3) has won 5 successful a enactment overall, including his archetypal 3 successful the UFC. The 27-year-old England autochthonal is simply a erstwhile Cage Warriors featherweight champion. Gordon (19-5), a 34-year-old New York native, has won 4 of his past 5 fights.
Also connected the card, Darren Till returns to look Dricus Du Plessis successful a middleweight contest, a brace of featherweight prospects Bryce Mitchell and Ilia Topuria clash and 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest combatant connected the UFC roster, faces Jay Perrin.
Follow on arsenic Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim recap each the enactment oregon watch the fights unrecorded connected ESPN+ PPV.
Fight successful progress: Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan (11-3, 4-3 UFC, -300) vs. Dalcha Lungiambula (11-5, 2-4 UFC, +240)
UFC 282 results
Middleweight: Chris Curtis (30-9, 4-1 UFC) def. Joaquin Buckley (15-6, 5-4 UFC) by knockout
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Chris Curtis knocks retired Joaquin Buckley successful Round 2 of their combat successful Las Vegas.
Curtis is known arsenic "The Action Man," but for a circular and a half, it was Buckley who was bringing the action. Though Curtis was the much close striker and was well-guarded by his defense, Buckley's buzzsaw of aggression was starring the dance.
Curtis pivoted and went to his breadstuff and butter, counterpunching, and instantly turned the tide. The 35-year-old from Las Vegas caught a Buckley footwear and, portion holding the limb with his close hand, unloaded a consecutive near manus that dropped his opponent, starring to a KO connected the canvas astatine 2:49 of Round 2.
The triumph got Curtis backmost connected way aft his eight-fight winning streak snapped successful July. Buckley, who is 28 and from St. Louis, has mislaid 2 successful a row.
Men's featherweight: Billy Quarantillo (16-5, 5-2 UFC) def. Alexander Hernandez (13-6, 5-5 UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
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Billy Quarantillo finishes Alexander Hernandez successful the 2nd circular of their prelim combat astatine UFC 282.
The antheral they notation to arsenic 'Billy Q' is known for an entertaining style, and that was erstwhile again the lawsuit successful a second-round finish.
Quarantillo, of New York, finished Hernandez astatine the 4:30 people with lasting strikes against the fence. The decorativeness came aft Quarantillo stuffed aggregate takedown attempts by Hernandez, and made him wage for the failed effort with knees to the body.
As Hernandez started to fatigue from the assemblage shots, Qurantillo looked to determination it connected the feet. In an extended sequence, helium caught Hernandez with an uppercut, a Superman punch, and a flurry on the fence. Hernandez tried to past and occurrence back, but eventually, the measurement accumulated to the constituent it had to beryllium stopped.
Quarantillo, 34, overcame a challenging archetypal circular successful which Hernandez opened a heavy chopped implicit his near oculus with elbows. His wrestling defence was a cardinal successful turning the tide and he's present won 5 of his 7 UFC appearances.
Men's featherweight: TJ Brown (17-9, 3-3 UFC) def. Erik Silva (9-2, 0-1 UFC) by submission (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
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T.J. Brown defeats Erik Silva via limb triangle successful Round 3 to excite the assemblage astatine UFC 282.
Brown had immoderate campy chaos coming into UFC 282, but helium didn't fto it impact his performance. Near the extremity of a back-and-forth fight, Brown was capable to get into apical position, displacement to an arm-triangle choke and unit Silva to pat astatine 3:41 of the 3rd round. Brown had been grooming with James Krause astatine Glory MMA successful Missouri, but the UFC has banned Krause amid a betting probe and fighters person been told to disassociate with him oregon they cannot enactment successful UFC events. Krause was not successful Brown's corner.
Brown wobbled Silva with a close manus instantly to commencement the bout. The 2 exchanged large shots and scrambles passim the bout. But Brown was capable to get into a superior presumption connected apical and determination to the submission.
Brown, 32, has won 3 of his past 4 fights. The Arkansas autochthonal is Dana White's Contender Series alum. Silva, a 35-year-old Venezuelan-born combatant who trains retired of Costa Rica, was making his UFC debut aft earning a declaration connected Contender Series.
Men's bantamweight: Cameron Saaiman (7-0, 1-0 UFC) def. Steven Koslow (6-1, 0-1 UFC) by TKO (Watch this combat connected ESPN+)
Two undefeated 135-pounders opened the nighttime with a combat that did what grappling-heavy bouts seldom do: elicit cheers alternatively than boos from just-brawl-for-us MMA fans. But aft the fighters traded advantages connected the mat successful entertaining scrambles for overmuch of the fight, the assemblage ended up getting what it came for, erstwhile Saaiman wounded Koslow with a flurry connected the feet successful the 3rd circular and got the TKO astatine 4:13.
For Saaiman, a 21-year-old from South Africa, it was his UFC debut. He has scored finishes successful six of his 7 wins.
Still to come:
Light heavyweight championship: Jan Blachowicz (29-9, 12-6 UFC, +220) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (18-1, 9-1 UFC, -270)
Lightweight: Paddy Pimblett (19-3, 3-0 UFC, -240) vs. Jared Gordon (19-5, 7-4 UFC, +200)
Catchweight (180 pounds): Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-6, 10-5 UFC) vs. Alex Morono (22-7 1 NC, 11-4 1 NC UFC)
Middleweight: Darren Till (18-4-1, 6-4-1 UFC, +160) vs. Dricus du Plessis (17-2, 3-0 UFC, -190)
Men's featherweight: Bryce Mitchell (15-1, 6-0 UFC, +115) vs. Ilia Topuria (12-0, 4-0 UFC, -135)
Heavyweight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (12-4, 6-4 UFC, -170) vs. Chris Daukaus (12-5, 4-2 UFC, +145)
Men's bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. (6-0, 0-0 UFC, -230) vs. Jay Perrin (10-6, 0-2 UFC, +190)
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