In the UFC's return to Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena, a pair of light heavyweight titans will duke it out for a vacant throne, and a surging prospect will look to pass his stiffest test yet. Read on for our best bets for Saturday's UFC 282.
After a shoulder injury forced Jiri Prochazka to abandon his light heavyweight crown, Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Jan Blachowicz were promoted to the bill's headliner. They will now vie to become Prochazka's successor while his original foe, Glover Teixeira, patiently waits in the proverbial wings.
Ankalaev has won nine straight and most recently dispatched Anthony Smith by TKO in July, while Blachowicz gets another shot at UFC gold after besting Aleksandar Rakic via injury TKO this past May.
In the co-main event, rising lightweight star Paddy Pimblett makes his first walk to the Octagon on pay-per-view for a date with Jared Gordon. The young English prospect has disposed of his first three UFC foes by stoppage, and he'll look to earn a push up the divisional pyramid at the expense of an ever-game Gordon, who was last seen claiming a decision over Leonardo Santos in August.