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At one point, before it lost its headliner, UFC 282 looked like one of the most stacked events of the year. In the end, it turned out to be a decent, if not always thrilling pay-per-view.
UFC 282 saw some fighters pick up major wins, but it also saw a number of them miss major opportunities, including in the headline bout.
So with plenty of fighters looking to move up the ladder, and some even coming up trumps despite not doing a lot, who won big last night?
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Here are the five biggest winners from UFC 282: Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev.
#5. Raul Rosas Jr. – defeats Jay Perrin in a UFC bantamweight bout
The top of last night’s preliminary card saw the official UFC debut of 18-year old Raul Rosas Jr., who faced Jay Perrin in a bantamweight bout.
It’s fair to say that Rosas Jr. brought plenty of hype with him. ‘El Nino Problema’ looked excellent in his September appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, and had quickly put together a 5-0 MMA record since his professional debut in 2021.
Perrin, though, who first fought in 2014 – when Rosas Jr. was just ten years old – had far more experience. Sure, he hadn’t won a bout in the octagon, going 0-2 in his previous fights, but he still appeared to be a test for the youngster.
In execution, though, Rosas Jr. made it look easy. The teenager took him down, took his back moments later, and then secured a rear naked choke. Perrin defended decently, but despite standing with Rosas Jr. on his back, he was forced to tap seconds later.
The victory made Rosas Jr. the youngest fighter to ever win in the octagon. It was also enough to net him the $50k bonus he asked for post-fight, too.
The promotion will undoubtedly need to be careful with him and not throw him to the wolves too early but based on this showing, they’ve got a future star on their hands.
#4. Dricus du Plessis – defeats Darren Till in a UFC middleweight bout
Ranked No.14 in the middleweight division coming into last night’s bout, Dricus du Plessis found himself faced with his toughest test to date in the form of Darren Till.
Sure, the South African had been on better form than his opponent, going 3-0 in his first three trips to the octagon, but Till had far more experience, fighting for the UFC welterweight title in 2018.
Early on, it looked like that experience would win out. Till absorbed a pretty painful first round, and then began to hurt a tired-looking ‘Stillknocks’ with his strikes in the second.
‘The Gorilla’ simply couldn’t keep du Plessis from taking him down, though, and that issue eventually led the South African to secure a takedown and a fight-ending choke in the third.
The win should be enough to move du Plessis into the top ten at 185lbs. While he still showed some holes in his game – most notably blowing his gas tank in the first round somewhat – this was an excellent showing for him.
Does he have the potential to go further? Sure, and he might be favoured to beat some fighters ranked above him like Derek Brunson and Sean Strickland. Therefore, he should definitely be considered one of last night’s biggest winners.
#3. Ilia Topuria – defeats Bryce Mitchell in a UFC featherweight bout
The most underrated fight, on paper, at UFC 282 pitted Ilia Topuria against Bryce Mitchell. The two featherweights had a combined record of 10-0 in the octagon, meaning somebody’s unbeaten record was guaranteed to go.
Remarkably, it was Topuria who came through with flying colors. Even more stunningly, the fight wasn’t even close. Mitchell might’ve been ranked five spots above ‘El Matator’ at No.9, but he literally looked like he didn’t even belong in the same octagon as the Georgian.
Topuria used his striking to break ‘Thug Nasty’ down throughout the first round, and when he took him to the ground – Mitchell’s wheelhouse – he looked comfortable there, too.
The second, meanwhile, saw Mitchell attempt a takedown, only for ‘El Matador’ to throw him to the ground like a child. From there, he used a slick arm triangle choke to submit him, handing Mitchell his first career loss.
The win over an undefeated, top-ten fighter alone would make Topuria one of last night’s big winners, but the fact that he looked so good was incredible. In this form, it isn’t a stretch to see him fighting for the featherweight title in 2023.
#2. Paddy Pimblett – defeated Jared Gordon in a UFC lightweight bout
The fighter who came into UFC 282 with the most hype was undoubtedly Paddy Pimblett. Garnering comparisons to Conor McGregor, ‘Paddy the Baddy’ got a huge reaction upon his arrival, bigger than any other fighter on the card.
However, when it came to fight time, he clearly struggled with Jared Gordon. ‘Flash’ was largely able to outstrike the Englishman in the first round, and while Pimblett put on a better showing in the final two stanzas, whether he did enough to win is a fair question to ask.
In the end, though, Pimblett was handed a unanimous decision from the judges, who clearly didn’t favor Gordon’s wall-and-stall tactics in the third.
The fact that he was able to win – and managed to cut another excellent post-fight promo – makes ‘Paddy the Baddy’ one of last night’s big winners. However, it is clear that he needs some work before moving up the ladder.
Based on this, it’s likely that we’ll see Pimblett against lower-level opponents for some time, which, it must be said, there’s nothing wrong with.
#1. Glover Teixeira – fights Jamahal Hill for the vacant light-heavyweight title at UFC 283
It seems utterly bizarre, but there’s a clear-cut argument that UFC 282’s biggest winner didn’t even fight on last night’s card.
Initially, the event would’ve seen former light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira attempt to reclaim his title from the man who took it from him, Jiri Prochazka. When Prochazka suffered an injury and was forced to vacate, though, Teixeira refused a title bout with Magomed Ankalaev.
At the time, that looked like a silly decision, especially when the UFC simply cut him out and made Ankalaev’s fight with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title.
However, as it turned out, he played his hand perfectly. Blachowicz’s fight with Ankalaev turned out to be hugely controversial. To most observers, it looked like Ankalaev had done enough to win at least three, if not four, of the rounds.
Unfortunately, the judges decided that wasn’t the case – and called the fight a split draw, leaving the title vacant.
Rather than book an immediate title rematch, though, Dana White – who was furious with the supposed poor quality of the headliner – simply booked Teixeira to fight Jamahal Hill for the strap in Brazil in January.
Essentially, then, Teixeira’s decision not to fight last night actually made him the event’s biggest winner. Not only is he getting to fight for the title anyway, but he’s facing an opponent who, on paper at least, looks like a simpler match for him.
If he can claim the title back at the age of 43, it’ll be miraculous – and the fact that he’s going to get the opportunity to do so makes him the biggest winner of all.
