Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev: UFC record comparison ahead of UFC 282

For a while, UFC 282 struggled to get its main event right. Fortunately, both Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev are ready to throw down next weekend. The five-round contest will be for the vacant light-heavyweight championship, with Jiri Prochazka vacating the belt due to a disastrous shoulder injury.

Both Ankalaev and Blachowicz boast impressive UFC records. The Dagestani fighter has the more eye-catching stat line, but he lacks experience against high-level opponents in comparison to Blachowicz.

The Russian currently has a record of 9-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming against Paul Craig during his octagon debut back in 2018. As mentioned, his Polish opponent's record pales in comparison [12-6 in the UFC], but Blachowicz has been fighting in the organization since 2014.

Watch the full UFC 282 Countdown here:

Jan Blachowicz has recently been competing against the likes of Israel Adesanya, Glover Teixeira, and Aleksandar Rakic. His UFC 282 opponent has arguably faced 'lesser' opposition in his UFC career. However, Ankalaev has still defeated the likes of Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Volkan Oezdemir in his latest octagon appearances.

Despite this, Blachowicz is currently the underdog heading into UFC 282. The Polish fighter sits at +205 on DraftKings, with Magomed Ankalaev currently a -245 favorite.

Watch Blachowicz's most recent UFC outing here:

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Did Jan Blachowicz lose his professional MMA debut?

Yes. Despite Jan Blachowicz going on to have an incredible fighting career so far, the Polish UFC star lost in his debut in professional MMA. Marcin Krysztofiak managed to defeat Blachowicz in a regional bout in Poland via unanimous decision.

Blachowicz has made a habit of starting slow in organizations, with the light-heavyweight fighter also going 1-2 in the UFC upon joining in 2014. The Polish fighter beat Ilir Latifi on his organizational debut but then suffered back-to-back losses against Jimi Manuwa and Corey Anderson.

Jan Blachowicz previously secured the light-heavyweight championship in 2020 against Dominick Reyes. Despite losing the title the following year to Glover Teixeira, he remains one of the best fighters in the division.

The 39-year-old has another chance to secure UFC gold next weekend, with Blachowicz taking on Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 for the vacant light-heavyweight title.