The main event on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was in contention for the title.
In mid-November, light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka suffered a serious shoulder injury, forcing him to withdraw from UFC 282 headlining vs. Glover Teixeira. I opened my belt to do it. Teixeira turned down the chance to fight anyone else for the title, so the UFC moved former champion Jan Bulahovic and Magomed his Ankaraev fight to the main event, putting the vacant belt on the line. .
And the fight may not have happened after Saturday’s main event, with the belt remaining vacant after Ankalaev and Blachowicz battled it out in a hotly contested split draw. The judges scored him 48-47, 46-48, 47-47.
In the co-main, the judges also made a controversial decision, giving Paddy Pinblet a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon despite skewed statistics in favor of Gordon.
Here’s how the battle unfolded.
UFC 282 Main Card Results
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Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev ends by split decision (48-47, 46-48, 47-47)
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Lightweight: Paddy Pinblett def. Jared Gordon wins unanimously (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Catchweight (180 lbs): Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Alex Morono with TKO (punch) at 2:29 in R3: