Jan Blachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev UFC 282 Betting: Who Takes Home the Light Heavyweight Championship?

UFC 282 is set to take place on Saturday, Dec. 10 as the stars of the company take over T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Though the card is filled with fights that die-hard MMA fans won’t want to miss, a good chunk of attention is on the light heavyweight main event for the vacant title between Jan Blachowicz (33-8, 1NC) and Magomed Ankalaev (22-1).

On Saturday night, we will have a NEW UFC Light Heavyweight Champion ?

Jan Blachowicz ? Magomed Ankalaev

Who you got? ?#UFC282 | Saturday | BT Sport 1 pic.twitter.com/KQYnhfmXB2

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) December 6, 2022

The headlining act was supposed to be Jiří Procházka defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Glover Teixeira, only for the former to suffer a shoulder injury in November. Procházka then vacated the title while Teixeira refused a replacement fighting, leading to Blachowicz and Ankalaev duking it out for the gold.

There’s a lot to take in ahead of the UFC 282 main event, especially when it concerns betting opportunities. Fortunately, Betting News has all of your Blachowicz vs Ankalaev needs, ranging from the latest odds to our picks for the fight.

UFC 282: Blachowicz vs Ankalaev Fight Odds (as of Wednesday, December 7)

Odds are via our top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks.

BetOnline Sportsbook

• Jan Blachowicz +200
• Magomed Ankalaev -265

Bovada Sportsbook

• Jan Blachowicz +220
• Magomed Ankalaev -270

BetUS

• Jan Blachowicz +205
• Magomed Ankalaev -265

BetMGM

• Jan Blachowicz +210
• Magomed Ankalaev -275

Ankalaev Clearly Favored in UFC 282 Main Event

Looking at the highlighted sportsbooks, there’s no doubt that Ankalaev is the clear favorite to win the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. His shortest odds to win sit at -275 on BetMGM, translating to an implied probability of 73.3%.

After losing his UFC debut (via submission) to Paul Craig four years ago, Ankalaev has been nothing short of unstoppable. The 30-year-old Russian has won nine fights in a row since his only career loss, taking home ‘Performer of the Night’ honors on three separate occasions.

What’s even more impressive is that Ankalaev’s opponents haven’t even come close to beating him over that stretch. Four of the victories in that span came by unanimous decision while the other five came from knocking his opponents out.

In fact, Ankalaev enters UFC 282 following a second-round TKO victory over Anthony Smith at UFC 277, leaving time to tell if the former can build off that momentum.

Keeping that in mind, you can never count out Blachowicz. The Polish veteran is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, after all, having beaten Dominick Reyes for the gold two years ago. Although he only had one successful defense, it was still a memorable one as he handed Israel Adesanya his first career MMA loss at UFC 259.

Unfortunately, Blachowicz lost the championship to Teixeira (via submission) in his next fight. He did rebound with a TKO victory against Aleksandar Rakić just seven months later, however, the fight ended prematurely due to the latter tearing his ACL.

At the end of the day, the UFC 282 main event is between two fighters who have proven that they’re worthy of the light heavyweight championship. Blachowicz has already been to the top of the mountain while Ankalaev would love to taste UFC gold for the first time, making this a must-see showdown.

UFC 282 Betting Markets & Trends for Blachowicz vs Ankalaev

Though there’s nothing wrong with betting on the outright winner, some bettors like some variety. Fortunately, we’ve found some other markets that shed light on how the UFC 282 main event could unfold.

When it comes to the method of victory, BetOnline Sportsbook favours Ankalaev to win by KO/TKO at +125 odds. As mentioned before, five of his last nine victories have come by KO/TKO and he’s a perfect 10-0 in his career when his bouts have been decided by knockout. Meanwhile, Blachowicz has been knocked out twice in his lengthy career.

On the flip side, Blachowicz’s top victory method is winning by KO/TKO at +550. Despite having four knockout victories in his last six fights, the 39-year-old has an uphill battle ahead of him against an opponent who’s yet to be knocked out.

BetOnline also doesn’t expect a long fight here. The sportsbook currently favors that the main event won’t go the distance at -186 odds.

If you’re looking to get more value out of a win, there’s always method & round combo betting. When it comes to that market, Ankalaev is favored to win by first-round KO/TKO at +490 odds. Seven of his 10 career knockout wins have occurred in Round 1, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this is the direction that BetOnline is leaning in.

Blachowicz vs Ankalaev UFC 282 Fight Prediction

Though both fighters are deserving of the gold, I’m siding with Ankalaev on this one. He’s the hungrier fighter with more to prove, plus he also has the advantage of being nine years younger than Blachowicz. With how unstoppable Ankalaev looks, it’s about time that he finally becomes a champion.

As far as best bets go, I will take Ankalaev winning by KO/TKO at +125 odds. He has the better striking offense and defense compared to Blachowicz and with the former’s history of knockout wins, it’s only fitting that he wins gold by KO/TKO.

UFC 282 Event Details

When is UFC 282?

UFC 282 will take place on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022.

Where is UFC 282?

UFC 282 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

What time does UFC 282 start?

• UFC 282 Early Prelims Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
• UFC 282 Prelims Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Start Time of UFC 282’s Main Card: 10 p.m. ET

How can I watch UFC 282?

The early prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass, while the prelims will be available on both ESPN2 and ESPN+, and the main card will be available via pay-per-view (which can be ordered through the ESPN+ app).

Other UFC 282 Articles on Betting News

• UFC 282: Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev Full Fight Card, Betting Odds & Date