Matches to Make After UFC 282

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's final pay-per-view of 2022 was a fairly last-minute affair. Originally scheduled to be headlined by a rematch for the light heavyweight title between champion Jiri Prochazka and the man he had beaten to earn the throne, Glover Teixeira, Prochazka was forced to withdraw with a severe injury and Teixeira refused to face Magomed Ankalaev on short notice. Instead, the co-main event of Ankalaev vs. former champ Jan Blachowicz, whom Teixeira beat for the title, was promoted to a five-round main event for the vacant crown.

Ankalaev was the heavy favorite, with an awesome nine-fight winning streak in the UFC since losing his debut via a last-second triangle choke to Paul Craig. He had defeated Nikita Krylov, Volkan Oezdemir, Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith in his last four, which was even more impressive. Blachowicz, meanwhile, had won the vacant light heavyweight title in 2020 with an excellent second-round knockout of heavily favored Dominick Reyes, defended against then-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, again as the underdog, then dropped the title to Teixeira, who clubbed and subbed him in the second stanza. Blachowicz had recorded a win since then when Aleksandar Rakic had to retire due to a leg injury, and at 39, this might well have been his last crack at the title. Blachowicz had considerable success early, badly hurting Ankalaev with vicious calf kicks in Rounds 2 and 3. However, Ankalaev switched to wrestling in the final two stanzas, taking the Pole down and keeping him there. He wasn't idle from the top either, as he battered Blachowicz with heavy, constant punches. Bizarrely though, one judge scored it for Blachowicz and another had it a draw, resulting in a split draw.

In the co-main, the immensely popular Paddy Pimblett faced Jared Gordon. Pimblett was 3-0 in the UFC, all via finish, but it had come against very light opposition. Gordon, while not even ranked, still represented a step up in competition, having won four of five since being brutally knocked out by Charles Oliveira in late 2019. According to virtually everyone who watched the fight, including 23 of 24 media members, Gordon won the fight. The three official Sherdog scorers even scored it 30-27 Gordon. Alas, “virtually everyone” didn't include the three cageside judges, who all had it 29-28 in favor of Pimblett.

Elsewhere, Dricus Du Plessis clashed with the colorful Darren Till at middleweight. He delivered a hellacious beating to Till in Round 1, which looked like a rare 10-7 before the final thirty seconds, but gassed himself completely, being picked apart in Round 2 by the Englishman. However, du Plessis regained a little energy and Till was badly exhausted and injured, allowing du Plessis to finish with a takedown and rear-naked choke. There was also a battle between undefeated featherweights when 15-0 Bryce Mitchell met 12-0 Ilia Topuria. Topuria proved to be the much better prospect, battering Mitchell with punches and defending his takedowns before tapping him with an arm-triangle halfway through the second round.

UFC President Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference that Teixeira would fight rising contender Jamahal Hill for the still-vacant light heavyweight belt at an event in Brazil early next year. That leaves Ankalaev and Blachowicz in limbo. By all rights, Ankalaev should be the champion now, as even Blachowicz more or less acknowledged in his postfight interview, but it’s anyone’s guess whether they will be booked in a rematch, or move on to new challenges.

In the wake of UFC 282, here are matchups that ought to be made for some of the notable winners.

Paddy Pimblett vs. Clay Guida

Pimblett's actual fighting ability clearly doesn't come close to matching his hype, since he was just soundly outclassed by Jared Gordon, robbery aside. Thus, having him fight a serious contender or prospect makes no sense, since they will badly expose Pimblett and sully a huge star for the UFC. Much wiser to have Pimblett face a well-known opponent in Guida who, at the age of 41, Pimblett may have a good chance of beating. They could make this the co-main of another pay-per-view based on Pimblett's popularity, and there would be some fun grappling exchanges.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Derek Brunson

Du Plessis is now 4-0 in the UFC, having just defeated the No. 10 ranked Till, and at just under 29 years old, is likely in his prime. It's about time to see what he can do against a top contender, and what better man than that most elite of gatekeepers, the fifth-ranked Brunson? Those who have defeated Brunson, like Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya and Ronaldo Souza, are among the greatest champions in middleweight history. Brunson, about to turn 39, may not be as good as he used to be, but he still presents a huge challenge. Is du Plessis good enough to join the ranks of those champions one day? This should also be a fascinating matchup, as both men have strong grappling bases, but also have no compunctions about throwing big punches. In a suddenly wide-open middleweight division, du Plessis could put himself in the title picture with a victory.

Ilia Topuria vs. Chan Sung Jung

Topuria just destroyed ninth-ranked featherweight contender Mitchell, so there is no reason to believe he can't face an elite contender. Why not the No. 6-ranked “Korean Zombie,” whose last fight was a bid for the featherweight crown against Alexander Volkanovski? Jung was badly dominated in that fight and at 35, is clearly past his prime, but should be a huge test for Topuria, possessing excellent grappling on top of highly dangerous striking. This could be an amazing fight, one of the best of the night or even year, with full-blooded combat in both the grappling and striking. It would also be an easy main event for a free event and maybe even a co-main for a pay-per-view. It would also propel Topuria into a possible title shot, or very close to it if he wins, while hurting him fairly little should he come up short. At only 25 years old, Topuria will have plenty of opportunities in his future, win or lose.