UFC 282 results, highlights: Jan Blachowicz, Magomed Ankalaev battle to a split draw, title remains vacant

The five-round battle ended in an unsatisfactory manner after many believed Ankalaev had done enough to win

There will be no UFC light heavyweight champion heading into the New Year. Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a split draw in a competitive main event at UFC 282 in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.

There were two relatively clear rounds for each fighter with Round 1 being a toss-up. Blachowicz took over in Rounds 2 and 3, severely compromising Ankalaev's legs with crunching leg kicks. Blachowicz caused Ankalaev to limp multiple times in Round 2 with nasty low kicks to Ankalaev's right leg. Ankalaev was forced to switch from southpaw to orthodox in Round 3, but Blachowicz's leg kicks also compromised Ankalaev's left leg.

Ankalaev successfully turned the tide in the final two rounds. Ankalaev scored early takedowns in rounds four and five, trapping Blachowicz and landing strikes. The impact landed by Ankalaev was more severe in the fifth round than it was in the fourth.

Shockingly, one judge awarded the fight to Blachowicz and a second judge proclaimed Ankalaev the winner. The final judge considered the fight dead even, resulting in a split draw. All three judges gave Blachowicz Round 1. Judge Derek Cleary dissented in Round 3, the only judge to award the round to Ankalaev. Judge Sal D'Amato gave Ankalaev a 10-8 in Round 5, resulting in a draw.

Blachowicz was disappointed in his performance post-fight. The former UFC light heavyweight champion said he would need to rewatch the fight, but told UFC commentator Joe Rogan that Ankalaev deserved to be champion. Ankalaev agreed, through a translator, insisting he was the rightful winner.

The draw was just the fifth time it has happened in UFC championship history. It joins Caol Uno vs. B.J. Penn II, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II, Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson I, and Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno I.

Unsurprisingly, UFC president Dana White was less than thrilled with the result of the main event. White said the main event was "terrible" and that he "zoned out after three rounds." Because of the frustration with how everything played out, White and company called an audible and added Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill to UFC 283 in January with the vacant title up for grabs.

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CBS Sports was with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 282 below.

UFC 282 card and results

• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jan Blachowicz ends in a split draw (48-47, 47-48, 47-47)
  
• Paddy Pimblett def. Jared Gordon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Alex Morono via third-round knockout (punches)
• Dricus Du Plessis def. Darren Till via third-round submission (rear naked choke)
• Ilia Topuria def. Bryce Mitchell via second-round submission (arm triangle)
• Raul Rosas Jr. def. Jay Perrin via first-round submission (rear naked choke)
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Chris Daukaus via first-round knockout (punches)
• Edmen Shahbazyan def. Dalcha Lungiambula via second-round TKO (knee, punches)
• Chris Curtis def. Joaquin Buckley via second-round knockout (punches) 
• Billy Quarantillo def. Alexander Hernandez via second-round TKO (punches)
• T.J. Brown def. Erik Silva via third-round submission (arm-triangle)
• Cameron Saaiman def. Steven Koslow via third-round TKO (punches)

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:36 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Alex Morono -- Round 3: Ponzinibbio's corner informed their fighter that he was likely down two rounds. Ponzinibbio opened with a leg kick in Round 3 and landed a right hand over the top. A left straight and left hook landed clean for Ponzinibbio. Morono responded with an overhand right that caught Ponzinibibo behind the ear and put him off balance. It was a delayed reaction but Ponzinibbio was visibly compromised. Morono pressed forward but was unable to capitalize on the opening. Ponzinibbio walked through the fire, cracked Morono with a right hand and put him down with a second one. Brief ground-and-proud followed and the referee intervened. Official result: Ponzinibbio def. Morono via third-round TKO (punches)

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:32 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Alex Morono -- Round 2: Morono's leg appeared to be a little unsteady and welts were visible from Ponzinibbio's leg kicks. Morono blitzed forward and dropped Ponzinibbio but Ponzinibbio bounced to his feet immediately. Morono launched a wild spinning head kick but fell short of the mark. A nice overhand right landed for Ponzinibbio over Morono's guard. Ponzinibbio also landed regularly with jabs to the body. Ponzinibbio blocked a spinning back elbow by Morono but then ate a punch. It was a very close round. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Morono (20-18 overall for Morono)

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:26 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Alex Morono -- Round 1: Morono landed a nice right hand early in the round. Ponzinibbio responded with a low kick to Morono's lead leg. Ponzinibbio scored a left hand to the body and came over the top with the right hand. Morono threw a big punch but Ponzinibbio ducked out of the way. Morono clocked Ponzinibbio with a right hand and then whiffed on a spinning back fist. A nice overhand right by Morono caught Ponzinibbio in the back of the head. Morono never stopped bouncing on his feet and circling. He found the home with quick jabs, right hands and body kicks -- all aided by his movement. Ponzinibbio loaded up with punches to the head and body but landed infrequently. A cut opened up on Ponzinibbio's left eyebrow after a clash of heads. Morono caught Ponzinibbio halfway through a spinning back fist and floored him. Morono landed some nice ground-and-pound but the clock ran out. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Morono

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:15 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Alex Morono has Fight of the Night potential. Morono stepped on short notice for an injured Robbie Lawler on five days' notice. Ponzinibbio has struggled with consistency since returning from a near-fatal staph infection that sidelined him for 26 months. He is 1-3 since coming back and lost split decisions to Michel Pereira and Geoff Neal in his last two fights. Morono enters on a four-fight winning streak against Matthew Semelsberger, Mickey Gall, David Zadawa and Donald Cerrone.

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:04 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Darren Till vs. Dricuss Du Plessis -- Round 3: Till caught a leg kick early and fired back with a long straight left. Du Plessis found some success with counter hooks but the two were fighting a very competitive third round. The slow striking exchanges lulled Till into a false sense of security. Suddenly, Du Plessis exploded into a takedown and landed in mount. Till turned his back and fell right into a rear-naked choke or neck crank that elicited a quick tap. Official result: Du Plessis def. Till via third-round submission (rear-naked choke)

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:58 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Darren Till vs. Dricuss Du Plessis -- Round 2: Du Plessis was noticeably slower in Round 2, winging on strikes and responding slower to Till's offense. Du Plessis shot for a takedown and was gifted a knee to the face. Du Plessis immediately doubled up on the takedown and secured it the second time around. Till managed to break free of Du Plessis' grip but ate a knee on the way out. Till backed up Du Plessis with a nice straight left from the southpaw stance. Till's accuracy served him well over the second half of the round as he started to pick apart Du Plessis with long strikes and elbows on the inside. A labored takedown by Du Plessis proved fruitful and he closed the round with an attempted foot lock. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Till (19-18 overall for Du Plessis)

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:55 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Darren Till vs. Dricuss Du Plessis -- Round 1: Till pushed the space early but gave up a takedown for his efforts. Du Plessis trapped Till's arm against the cage and unloaded with left punches. Referee Mark Smith repeatedly warned Till about stopping the fight but Till insisted that he was fine. A lot of the strikes hit Till's glove but the power of the punches was serious. Du Plessis started to find the gaps and hit Till with dozens of uppercuts and hooks. A takedown by Du Plessis earned him a back mount. Du Plessis transitioned between punches and a rear-naked choke. Till eventually wiggled free. He blitzed with strikes and even scored a quick trip in the closing moments of the round, but it was too little too late. Unofficial scorecard: 10-8 Du Plessis

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:38 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

We move up a few floors to the middleweight division. Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till takes on rising contender Dricuss Du Plessis. Till is in dire need of reinvention: he has lost four of his last five fights with the sole win being a split decision over Kelvin Gastelum. Till returns from a 15-month lay-off to fight Du Plessis, a 17-2 fighter with a 3-0 record in the UFC. Du Plessis is coming off a decision win against Brad Tavares and looks primed to break into the middleweight Top 10.

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:31 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Ilia Topuria vs. Bryce Mitchell -- Round 2: Topuria landed a hard right hand to begin the middle frame. Mitchell shot for a solid takedown but Topuria deflected it. Mitchell substituted his ranged kicking game from Round 1 with a more offensive approach to Round 2. Mitchell charged forward, interchanging between strikes and takedowns. Mitchell landed a nice hard shot but couldn't match Topuria's power. Topuria dropped Mitchell with a combination and swarmed him. Mitchell got to his feet, but Topuria tossed him to the floor and snatched an arm-triangle choke for the finish. Official result: Topuria def. Mitchell via second-round submission (arm-triangle choke)

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:27 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Ilia Topuria vs. Bryce Mitchell -- Round 1: Mitchell opened with a variety of side kicks to the body. Topuria answered with a powerful combination that cracked Mitchell. A sturdy leg kick by Topuria immediately swelled Mitchell's leg. Mitchell shot for a takedown but Topuria responded with a strong sprawl. Topuria continued to land clean, hard punches on Mitchell. A cut opened up above Mitchell's left eyebrow. A nice punch by Mitchell allowed him to shoot deep on a takedown and push Topuria against the fence. Topuria eventually shucked Mitchell off. Topuria landed two right hooks but whiffed on an enormous left hand that put him off balance. Mitchell finally secured a clean takedown with one minute left in Round 1, but couldn't do much with it. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Topuria

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:06 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

The UFC 282 main card is officially underway. We begin with tonight's sleeper hit. Undefeated featherweights Bryce Mitchell (No. 9) and Ilia Topuria (No. 14) both look like future title challengers. Mitchell's submission savvy meets Topuria's dynamite power with the winner taking a big step towards fighting the featherweight elite.