UFC 282 Preview

Hello everyone, we are in for another epic night of fights on December 10. UFC 282 will be taking place in the fight capital of the world, Viva Las Vegas, at the T-Mobile Center. The fight card is good overall, although everyone was looking forward to the former main event of Jiri Prochazka vs Glover Teixeira, which was cancelled due to Prochazka pulling out of the fight with an injury. As we all know, the show must go on. The main card features a title fight between former Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz (29-9) vs Magomed Ankalaev (18-1) for the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship as the main event, a rising star in Paddy Pimblett (19-3) looking to make another statement against Jared Gordon (19-5) in the co-main event, followed by a fan favorite in Darren Till (18-4) fighting for a chance at redemption against Dricus Du Plessis (17-2). Before we witness this fight card on Saturday December 10, I wanted to share my thoughts and predictions on each of these fights.

Jan Blachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev

Alright y'all I get it, this isn't Jiri vs Glover, but I still feel this will be a great main event based on the fact that it's for the vacant title. Both Blachowicz and Ankalaev were originally slotted as the co-main event to determine the #1 contender for the Light Heavyweight Championship, but Prochazka pulled out of the fight and Glover didn't want to fight both men on short notice resulting in the UFC bumping Blachowicz vs Ankalaev to the main event slot for the belt. Now, let's get to the breakdown of this fight. Both men are elite in their respective rights and can end this fight at any second. Blachowicz carries dynamite in both of his hands, but his left hook is where he makes his money. Jan has knocked out some of the best fighters in the world and is definitely looking to use his "legendary polish power" to knock Ankalaev's head off his shoulders. Jan's best path to victory is to keep the fight standing because Ankalaev has the wrestling advantage. Ankalaev is good everywhere, he has great striking, wrestling, and decent jiu-jitsu. He possesses more ways to win than Blachowicz, which gives him the advantage on paper. The easiest path to victory would be for Ankalaev to use his wrestling, given that Blachowicz has struggled with wrestlers in the psst. This fight comes down to which fighter is able to implement their respective gameplans. I believe this fight will end in either one or two ways; either Jan will knock out Ankalaev or Ankalaev will use his wrestling to submit Jan or grind out o a decision. We shall find out Saturday night!

Prediction: Magomed Ankalaev via 3rd-Round Submission

Paddy Pimblett vs Jared Gordon

Oooooohhhhh Paddy the Baddy.....Ooooohhhh Paddy the.. Alright y'all, let me stop. I'm not on the Paddy Pimblett hype train, but I do respect him as a good fighter. The UFC has fully invested in him by giving him the star treatment recipe, which is to fast track a fighter into stardom by cherry picking their competition until they're forced to face the cream of the crop after garnering a streak. Add in that Paddy is from the UK, and you can see why the US has bought in to Paddy as a star. The next opponent on the Paddy Pimblett express is Jared Gordon and he's no slouch by any means. Jared will be coming in there to put an end to the hype train, unfortunately Paddy isn't going to let that happen. Gordon is as tough as they come and has been in the cage with the best of the best. Paddy is pretty decent everywhere, he has good striking, decent wrestling, and great jiu-jitsu. Although, I must say that Paddy does get rocked pretty easily and his chin has been tested in each of his fights in the UFC thus far. Gordon could potentially tag Pimblett, if Paddy comes in swinging with his chin up the in the air. Gordon isn't the best striker on the planet, but he does have great timing. With that being said, I believe there will be an upset tonight ladies and gentleman. I see Paddy Pimblett coming into the cage over-confident and Jared Gordon catching him, while trying to press too hard to make a statement. We shall find out Saturday night!

Prediction: Jared Gordon 2nd-Round Knockout

Darren Till vs Dricus Du Plessis

As previously mentioned, there's a fighter on this card fighting for redemption after failing to live up to expectations thus far and that fighter is none other than Darren Till. At one point, Darren Till was the highly touted prospect fighting for championships at welterweight and carrying the weight of entire country on his back, but as of late he hasn't lived up to his potential. As a result, the UFC has granted him the perfect stylistic opponent in Du Plessis who is going to strike and go toe-to-toe with Till. Darren Till is a striker who has fought the best of the best, which is why he is supposed to win this fight. The key word is "supposed" because at the end of the day this is MMA and anything can happen with four-ounce gloves. Du Plessis is hungry and is coming into the cage to make a statement against Darren Till. Du Plessis is a good striker in his own right, but he has a habit of marching forward with his chin held high when throwing combinations, similar to Paddy Pimblett. Darren Till will be looking to counterstrike and catch Du Plessis coming in. Make no mistake about it, someone is going to sleep in this fight. Who will it be? We will find out Saturday night!

Prediction: Darren Till via 3rd-Round Knockout