UFC 282 Recap: Anti-Climactic Decisions Spoil Finish-Filled Event
It Was Turning Out To Be The Event of the Year Until …
A pair of questionable decisions spoiled what was turning out to be one of the best UFC events of the year. UFC 282 concluded with a controversial draw in the main event preceded by a “gifted” decision to Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event. The UFC betting lines got shaken up as the night went on as there were plenty of bad beats going around.
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UFC 282 Results: Bad Decisions and Bad Beats
Blachowicz and Ankalaev Fight to Draw
Fans will be discussing the scorecards between Jan Blachowicz (+260) and Magomed Ankalaev (-360) for quite some time. Many believe the favorite did enough to beat Blachowicz thanks to a 10-8 fifth round. But there is also a solid case that Blachowicz won the first three rounds thus the draw is justified.
- Either way, bettors for Ankalaev are either irate or relieved with the decision. The heavily-bet Russian was down heading into the championship round. His big fifth round saved the bacon for those who bet online on him. And on a positive note, those who bet on the “over” (+135) and for the fight to go to a decision (+110) cashed out regardless of the decision.
Ankalaev, through a translator, says he's not sure if he'll fight for the UFC again due to the scoring. #UFC282
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 11, 2022
Scoop on Free Play from the Locker Room
Pimblett Cashes Thanks to the Judges
While fans and media debate about the main event’s decision, most will be in agreement that Paddy Pimblett (-240) lost his fight against Jared Gordon (+190). While Pimblett narrowly outstruck Gordon (63-58), it was the underdog that controlled most of the fight with his wrestling. He also landed the harder and cleaner shots.
The result had many viewers thinking back to the Sean O’Malley-Petr Yan decision, which was also highly contentious, to say the least. Still, “a win is a win” and Pimblett stays perfect in the Octagon. As for Gordon’s backers, that was a bad beat on the sportsbook.
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Ponzinibbio-Morono Is the Worst Beat of the Evening
Speaking of bad beats, folks who bet on Santiago Ponzinibbio (-170) and Alex Morono (+140) to fight for over 2½ rounds (-160) must be feeling all kinds of sick. It appeared like Morono was en route to a decision victory when Ponzinibbio caught him cold and the referee waved the fight off at the 2:29 mark of the third round.
That is one second away from pushing the bet and two away from cashing the over. Bettors on the other side would be ecstatic, however. Ponzinibbio’s KO victory was also the 10th and final finish of the card, which was just one short from tying UFC 281 for most finishes in UFC Pay-Per-Vew history.
UFC 282 Money Line: Favorites Dominate
Another Good Night for Chalk Bettors
With a record of 7-1-1, favorites once again “raked.” Only the draw and Chris Curtis (+150) foiled the chalk. It could have been foreseen considering Blachowicz’s and Curtis’s past history as underdogs. Blachowicz was 10-2 as an underdog in the UFC while Curtis improved to 3-0 as one in the promotion.
All of the winning favorites save for Pimblett also finished their opponents. Raul Rosas Jr. (-240) became the youngest fighter to win a UFC fight while Jairzinho Rozenstruk (-170) needed just 23 seconds to put away Chris Daukaus (+140). A bet on Rozenstruik to win in Round 1 was at +150 and was one of the best UFC bets.
UFC 282 Totals: Going “Under” With Finishes
Totals Go Under in 6 of First 10 Fights
Thanks to UFC 282’s 10 finishes, most of the fights prior to the main events went under their totals. This includes Rosas finishing Jay Perrin (+190) and Billy Quarantillo (-170) knocking out Alex Hernandez (+140). Both fights were lined at even money (Ev) to go under 2½ rounds. Rosas submitted Perrin in just one round while “Billy Q” stopped Hernandez in the second.
The Next UFC PPV: Teixeira vs Hill
Thanks to the anticlimactic results of UFC 282’s main event, UFC President Dana White called an audible in the post-fight press conference: former Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Teixeira will fight Jamahal Hill for the vacant belt in UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. The two will headline an event that already has the fourth bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno as they fight to unify the flyweight title.