UFC 282 Grades: Evaluating the Main Card Standouts

The report card is in for the judges, headliners and rising phenom Raul Rosas Jr.

Author:
Justin Barrasso
Publish date:
Dec 11, 2022

UFC 282 started off with fire, but ended in abject disappointment. The main event was scored a split draw, meaning that the light heavyweight title remains vacant.

The most memorable images of UFC 282 were Jan Blachowicz congratulating Magomed Ankalaev–after the decision was announced–for winning the fight, and Ankalaev exiting the octagon with tears in his eyes. Ankalaev made incredible adjustments after both of his legs were compromised by Blachowicz’s leg kicks, and it looked like he definitively won the fight with his grappling. But the judges ruled differently, and a championship moment was lost.

Following the indecision in the UFC 282 main event, Dana White announced that Glover Teixeira will fight Jamahal Hill for the vacant title next month at UFC 283–a decision that leaves both Ankalaev and Blachowicz, at least for now, out of the title picture.

Now that the fights have finished, the red pen is out and it is time to give out the grades:

Judges Mike Bell, Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato

Magomed Ankalaev, in totality, won the fight against Jan Blachowicz.

Ankalaev connected with more significant strikes, 78-55. He had over 11 more minutes of control time. After five grueling rounds, it appeared clear that Ankalaev was the new light heavyweight champion.

But the UFC 282 main event was scored as a split draw by judges Mike Bell (48-47, Blachowicz), Derek Cleary (48-46, Ankalaev), and Sal D’Amato (47-47). There were a few head-scratching scores, particularly Cleary having Ankalaev winning round three. It was also very surprising that none of the judges had Ankalaev winning the first round.

How can this be a split draw with such a considerable discrepancy between control time and strikes landed? The fighters and fans deserved better, and all were let down by the judges.

Grade: F

Jan Blachowicz

The gentleman’s F goes to Blachowicz, who controlled the bout against Ankalaev through the first three rounds before getting completely dismantled in the championship rounds.

This was Blachowicz’s fight to lose following the first 15 minutes. He was in a position of control, but he could not allow Ankalaev to take him down. Yet that is exactly what happened, almost immediately, in the fourth round. The fifth round saw even more damage and dominance from Ankalaev, effectively removing any edge Blachowicz had built.

Even after compromising both of Ankalaev’s legs, Blachowicz could not put away his opponent.

Grade: D-

Paddy Pimblett

Ever since Paddy Pimblett’s UFC debut–a breathtaking knockout victory against Luigi Vendramini 13 months ago–there have been endless comparisons to Conor McGregor.

But those will end after UFC 282. While Pimblett is certainly charismatic, he is nowhere near the dominant force McGregor was in the cage. Pimblett has won all four of his fights in the UFC, including Saturday’s bout against Jared Gordon. But despite his insistence that he won handedly, there are plenty of reasons to doubt Pimblett after this bout.

Gordon had nearly six more minutes of control time. He landed five fewer significant strikes than Pimblett, as well as three takedowns (there were none for Pimblett). The third round was tough to judge, but it was a real surprise to see Pimblett win by unanimous decision.

Pimblett is fun to watch, but all signs indicate he is going to struggle mightily against top-10, or even top-15, ranked opponents.

Grade: C+

Raul Rosas Jr.

Only 18 years old, Raul Rosas Jr. delivered a phenomenal showing in his UFC pay-per-view debut. He submitted Jay Perrin with a neck crank in the opening round, and this bout was over the moment Rosas took control of Perrin’s back.

The only reason this grade isn’t higher is because of the opponent. Perrin has dropped all three of his UFC bouts, and he looked overwhelmed here.

As long as he remains undefeated, every Rosas fight is going to be must-see viewing. He is a strong candidate to open a main card pay-per-view in his next fight.

Grade: A-

Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria was spectacular at UFC 282.

Topuria defeated Bryce Mitchell, who had been so dominant in the UFC, shattering his undefeated record. It was no surprise that Topuria’s striking was sharp, as that was expected to be an advantage, but he was also more effective on the ground. That is a wild notion considering that Mitchell is one of the best grapplers in the division, yet that is where he was mauled by Topuria.

There is no doubt that Topuria is one of the top 10 featherweights in the world. After subbing Mitchell in the second round of their bout, he is on a collision course with the featherweight title.