UFC 282 main event finishes in a draw

The light heavyweight title remained vacant after judges awarded the main event in UFC 282 a controversial draw between thirdranked Jan Blachowicz and No. 4 Magomed Ankalaev in Las Vegas.

Blachowicz (29-9-1) said he didn’t think he won the fight and that Ankalaev (181-1) deserved the belt. One judge gave Blachowicz the fight at 48-47, another Anklalaev at 48-46 and the third a 47-47 score.

Blachowicz-Ankalaev might have been the main event, but much of the crowd came to see England’s Paddy Pimblett in the co-main fight. American Jared Gordon, 34, had other ideas, dictating the tempo in the lightweight match.

Pimblett (20-3) won 2928 on all three judges’ cards.

As for the main event, Blachowicz and Ankalaev weren’t expected to be the headliners, but light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka dropped out because of a shoulder injury. Second-ranked Glover Teixeira declined to fight Blachowicz, vacating the title and elevating this fight to a championship bout.

The fight was even through the first two rounds, but Blachowicz began to get the upper hand in the third with his kicks. Ankalaev took the Polish fighter to the floor with about five seconds left, and then came out swinging in the fourth.

Ankalaev, who is from Russia, took Blachowicz back to the floor with a little more than three minutes left and kept him there the remainder of the fourth.

Again in the fifth, Ankalaev came out the aggressor by throwing punches and quickly getting Blachowicz to the floor, where it became a wrestling match the rest of the way.