UFC 282 goes down this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are 14 fights on the card in total, which is headlined by light heavyweights Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz, who square off for the vacant 205 lbs title. 

We’ll break down that main event, plus two other bouts in our best UFC picks right here at Bookies.

Odds via DraftKings sportsbook and current as of publication. Check out our DraftKings sportsbook review.

UFC 282 Main Event Best Bet

Magomed Ankalaev (-265) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+225)

The main event of UFC 282 sees Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz fight for five rounds or less with the vacant UFC light heavyweight title on the line. Ankalaev is a -265 favorite and I believe he will get his hand raised and become the new champion at 205 lbs.

Ankalev is a 30-year-old Russian who has a 9-1 record in the UFC, but he would be a perfect 10-0 had he not tapped out at literally the last second against Paul Craig in his Octagon debut back in 2018. Since then, Ankalaev hasn’t lost, and for the most part, he has looked incredible in all of his UFC fights. 

He has very technical striking, huge power, and his grappling is solid too. There is a reason why he is fighting for the vacant 205lbs title and is the favorite to win the belt.

Blachowicz is, of course, a former UFC champion in his own right. The 39-year-old Pole defeated Aleksandar Rakic via TKO in his last fight and overall he has lost six of his last seven bouts, so he’s fighting at a high level at the moment. 

That being said, his opponent is nearly a full decade younger here and is fighting in such a solid form that Blachowicz is the underdog despite his former championship experience. He can win this fight, but it will not be easy to do.

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Ankalaev is the younger fighter who is more in his prime right now and I expect him to defeat Blachowicz and become the new UFC light heavyweight champion. 

Look for a competitive striking battle here, but Ankalaev should be able to land more volume and score the harder, more damaging shots en route to winning a decision over a very formidable foe in Blachowicz.

UFC 282 Best Bet: Magomed Ankalaev wins at -265 at DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 282 Best Prop Bet: Magomed Ankalaev wins by decision at +240 at DraftKings Sportsbook

Other UFC 282 Best Bets

Dricus Du Plessis (-190) vs. Darren Till (+160)

In a main card bout, Dricus Du Plessis and Darren Till square off at middleweight. Du Plessis is a -190 favorite on betting apps and I believe he will get the biggest win of his career in this fight.

A 28-year-old South African, Du Plessis joined the UFC roster in 2020 and since then he’s 3-0 with two knockout wins over Trevin Giles and Markus Perez plus a decision win over the durable Brad Tavares in his last fight. 

Du Plessis is a big, strong middleweight with serious thunder in his hands, and he also has solid grappling skills as well. He is a finisher, with 16 stoppage wins out of his 17 career victories. There is a lot to like about Du Plessis and he could be a title contender one day, and a win over Till would help him move up in the 185lbs rankings.

Till is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster, but he just isn’t performing at a high level anymore. The 29-year-old Brit has lost four of his last five fights overall, but he could easily be on a seven-fight losing skid if he didn’t win close decisions over Stephen Thompson and Kelvin Gastelum. 

While he does have a lot of high-level experience, he just hasn’t really been competitive and many of his recent fights. It feels like he’s on a decline and Du Plessis is going to look to take advantage of Till being on the downside of his career with a big victory here.

Du Plessis is on the up-and-up, while Till seems to be in a big decline phase in his career, so this is a big opportunity for the South African fighter. Look for Du Plessis to keep this fight standing and land the more powerful punches as he takes the decision over a tough Till. 

UFC 282 Best Bet: Dricus Du Plessis wins at -190 at DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 282 Best Prop Bet: Dricus Du Plessis wins by decision at +160 at DraftKings Sportsbook

Vinicius Salvador (-195) vs. Daniel Da Silva (+165)

In preliminary card action, Vinicius Salvador battles Daniel Da Silva in a flyweight bout. Salvador is a -195 UFC betting favorite and I believe he will win this fight.

Salvador is a 26-year-old Brazilian who won a UFC contract with a fantastic knockout win over Shannon Ross on Dana White’s Contender Series back in August. He rides into his UFC debut on a four-fight win streak, with all of those wins coming by knockout. 

In fact, 13 of his 14 career wins have come by knockout, which is an absurdly high knockout rate for a flyweight. His striking is excellent and he should immediately come into the UFC and impress the fans.

Da Silva has fought three times in the UFC so far but he’s been brutally finished in both fights, and at this point, I don’t really see him being a UFC-level fighter. While the Brazilian is also only 26 years old and theoretically could make improvements, I don’t really see that happening. 

There’s no reason to suggest that he’s going to fight any differently against Salvador, and based on his previous UFC fights, that leaves Da Silva very susceptible to getting knocked out again.

Salvador looked incredible in the Contender Series and he had a nice career before joining the UFC, so I have high hopes for him. Da Silva, on the other hand, has lost all three of his UFC fights by stoppage. I expect Salvador to win this fight and I think he can even get the knockout.

UFC 282 Best Bet: Vinicius Salvador wins at -195 at DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 282 Best Prop Bet: Vinicius Salvador wins by TKO at DraftKings Sportsbook

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