Odds Once Again Against Blachowicz
After an injury to Jiri Prochazka, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz gets another opportunity at the gold. However, the UFC betting lines are not in his favor as he takes on surging contender Magomed Ankalaev. This is a spot Blachowicz is too familiar with as he looks to spring another upset.
Let’s check the latest UFC odds, stats and UFC lines for Blachowicz vs Ankalaev. We’ve plenty of UFC betting odds for you to consider.
Ankalaev is a Chalk Bettors’ Dream
In his 10-fight UFC career, Ankalaev has never once been an underdog. In fact, he has never been less than a 2-1 favorite on the online sports betting lines. That’s how good this Dagestani fighter is. Ankalaev has won nine straight fights in the UFC and his only loss was flukish, as he literally fell into a last-second submission.
Check Ankalaev’s last three wins: All came against a former title challenger and these wins were dominant. He finished Anthony Smith and then easily beat Thiago Santos and Volkan Oezdemir in wide decisions. Ankalaev is as measured and cerebral as a fighter can get and that’s why he’s a routinely successful choice when betting online.
The 30-year-old is primarily a striker but has the wrestling background to fend off takedown attempts. He’s defended 86 percent of takedown attempts and absorbs just 2.14 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent rate. Few fighters, if any, can match the MMA acumen of Ankalaev.
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Does Blachowicz Still Have the ‘Polish Power’?
As they say in combat sports: power is the great equalizer. A fighter can be outperformed but when they land that big punch, that’s all it takes. Blachowicz rode his infamous “Polish Power” to new heights as he went on a five-fight winning streak that culminated in him winning the gold and ending Israel Adesanya’s unbeaten record.
Blachowicz has knocked out the likes of Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson. But that feels like some time ago as he has not starched anyone recently. Prior to his string of KO wins, Blachowicz had zero knockout victories in the UFC. His last win also came via an injury to his opponent, Aleksandar Rakic, in a fight he looked to be losing.
Still, we can’t underestimate Blachowicz too much. After all, the Pole is 10-2 as an underdog in the UFC. If there is any fighter that can overcome the odds, it’s Blachowicz.
Blachowicz vs Ankalaev Head-to-Head
Blachowicz and Ankalaev are about the same height, though the former sports a three-inch reach advantage. Ankalaev, however, is nearly a decade younger.
Blachowicz vs Ankalaev Fight Information
- Fighters: Blachowicz (29-9-0) vs Ankalaev (18-1-0)
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Day/Time: Saturday, Dec. 10th, 10 p.m. ET
- Blachowicz vs Ankalaev Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass
Blachowicz vs Ankalaev Betting Lines
Blachowicz vs Ankalaev Picks & Prediction
Blachowicz has made many bettors wealthy thanks to his exploits as an underdog. However, he’s met his match here as Ankalaev is a significant step up in competition. The Russian has yet to get outstruck in any MMA fight. He’s difficult to hit or out-think and he’s got a solid line considering where he’s usually priced. Bet Ankalaev straight or put him in a parlay. Either will be the best UFC bet for UFC 282.
Jan Blachowicz is listed at +200 in our Vegas UFC lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Blachowicz, you can win $200. Magomed Ankalaev is -260, offering a chance to win $38 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Blachowicz a 33.33% chance to win, with Ankalaev at 72.22%.
