UFC 282: Blachowicz and Ankalaev Go to War in Split Draw Title Fight

• Jan Blachowicz dominated the fight standing up and targeted Magomed Ankalaev's legs throughout the first three rounds
• Ankalaev controlled the fight on the ground, giving Blachowicz no chance to beat up his legs anymore
• The UFC is still without a Light Heavyweight champion after Blachowicz and Anakalaev's fight was declared a draw

The UFC is still without a light-heavyweight champion.

Poland's Jan Blachowicz and Dagestan's Magomed Ankalaev fought to a split draw decision in the main event of UFC 282.

Blachowicz landed the more telling blows in the first round, cutting Ankalaev about his eye early in the first round.

While not as quick as the Dagestani fighter, the Polish light-heavyweight landed precision blows, making them count. Ankalaev landed a few good kicks to the body which threatened to do damage.

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Blachowicz employed a new strategy in round two, targeting Ankalaev's legs. Blachowicz landed some big kicks which left Ankalaev wincing in pain.

With his legs compromised, the Polish fighter landed a few big shots to the head, dealing damage to his opponent. Ankalaev's corner was not happy with his performance in the fight, asking him to finish the fight in the third and not let Blachowicz have his way.

Ankalaev switches up his strategy

The third round saw Blachowicz go back to the winning recipe of targeting Ankalaev's legs with brutal leg kicks. Ankalaev had a much better round three, pushing forward and landing blows, but the former champ targeted the other leg, leaving Ankalaev compromised.

With the realisation that he can't take the fight to Blachowicz on his feet, Ankalaev took the fight to the ground before the end of the third.

In the fourth, Ankalaev went back to the ground, giving Blachowicz no way to target his legs. The Polish didn't have an answer to the ground game and it was much the same story in the fifth.

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Ankalaev immediately took the fight to the ground in the final round, landing blow after blow. Blachowicz was getting beat up at the bottom but did enough to keep the referee from stopping the fight.

The fight went to the judges' scorecards, but neither fighter could be separated. One judge gave the fight to Blachowicz while the other gave the win to Ankalaev.

The third judge saw the fights as a draw.

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The UFC will look to crown a new light heavyweight champion when action resumes next year.

Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought for the vacant strap in the main event of UFC 282, but the fight was declared a split draw by judges.

With more questions than answers following the main event, UFC President Dana White confirmed that there will be a new title fight next year, Sports Brief reported.