Promotion broadcast partner ESPN reported that the contest is set for the UFC’s final pay-per-view event of 2022. UFC 282 takes place on Dec. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is expected to include a 205-pound championship tilt pitting Jiri Prochazka against Glover Teixeira, though that bout has not been made official.
A former light heavyweight champion, Blachowicz returned to the win column in his last outing at UFC on ESPN 36, when he defeated Aleksandar Rakic via third-round TKO when his opponent suffered a leg injury. The WCA Fight Team product won nine of 10 promotional appearances from October 2017 to March 2021, a stretch that saw the Pole claim 205-pound gold with a second-round TKO of Dominick Reyes and defend the crown with a five-round verdict against reigning middleweight king Israel Adesanya. He relinquished the belt to Glover Teixeira in a second-round submission loss at UFC 267.
Ankalaev, meanwhile, has authored a nine-bout UFC winning streak to establish himself as one of the top contenders in the division. The 30-year-old Dagestani is 2-0 in 2022, with a decision win over Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 203 and a second-round stoppage of Anthony Smith at UFC 277 to his credit. Ankalaev has lost just once in 18 professional outings overall, falling to Paul Craig via third-round submission at UFC Fight Night 127 in March 2018.