Best of the rest at UFC 282 – who should you be watching?
An 18-year-old starlet Dana White singled out as ‘special’, Dricus du Plessis’ South African protege and Ilia Topuria’s huge clash with Bryce Mitchell… key match-ups to watch at UFC 282 outside the top of the card
- Jan Blachowicz takes on Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 282
- Paddy Pimblett’s co-main event clash with Jared Gordon is highly anticipated
- But elsewhere, there are plenty of other great match-ups worth watching
- Bryce Mitchell’s fight with Ilia Topuria is a fascinating featherweight contest
- And the youngest ever fighter to sign for the UFC will also be in action
UFC 282 packs a punch at the top of the card with Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fighting for the vacant light-heavyweight title.
And the co-main event between Paddy Pimblett and Jared Gordon will of course draw plenty of eyeballs, as will Darren Till’s make or break clash with Dricus du Plessis.
But elsewhere, there are plenty of match-ups to savour, including the youngest fighter ever signed by the UFC and also a featherweight bonanza.
Bryce Mitchell vs Ilia Topuria
This fight would be a legitimate card-topper for any Fight Night event.
Mitchell is one of the more controversial and outspoken competitors in the organisation and known for being a conspiracy theorist.
However unpopular his wild, and at times abhorrent, views are outside the cage, he has amassed a six-fight winning streak to tee up this battle.
Mitchell’s bread and butter is his incredibly aggressive wrestling and constant pressure.
Bryce Mitchell (pictured) will face Ilia Topuria on the UFC 282 card this weekend
He will attempt to push a ridiculous pace and drown Topuria later on in the fight and this is your classic grappler vs striker match-up.
Topuria has enormous power at his disposal and can shut the lights off at any minute, as he proved in devastating fashion against Jai Herbert at the O2 Arena earlier this year.
The 25-year-old clashed with Pimblett that fight week and they were involved in an altercation at the fighter hotel, with the Georgian throwing a bottle of hand sanitser at ‘The Baddy’.
Topuria has a clean unbeaten record from 12 fights but this could be his toughest test, especially in terms of style.
Mitchell will be able to walk forward without the fear of being taken down so it will be interesting to see how Topuria uses his howitzer of a right hand without walking into a takedown.
Topuria came up with a massive knockout after overcoming adversity against Jai Herbert
Raul Rosas Jr vs Jay Perrin
Raul Rosas Jr has had as much or more attention than almost anyone before he’s even taken a fight in the UFC.
He signed for the UFC at 17, the youngest man ever to do so, and having turned 18 is now set to make his debut on the big stage.
Dana White was hugely impressed by Rosas Jr on the Contender Series, saying: ‘For a 17-year-old to conduct himself the way he did in this fight, I was blown away by it.
‘He’s not one of these guys that’s a jiu-jitsu guy that just lays around, and whatever,” he added.
Due to his age, Rosas Jr needed to get permission from his parents and sponsors to gain a license to fight in the Octagon
‘He’s always going for something, how slick he is, how he takes the back. When you get his back, how he can get out. Just everything that kid did impressed me and especially his cardio.
‘After what I just saw, this kid is ready to fight in the UFC,” he continued.
‘I’m very, very impressed with this kid. He’s absolutely special. The amount of fighters that were blowing me up going, ‘Oh my God. This kid is for real. This kid is legit. Impressive.’
Rosas Jr is still extremely green with only six fights under his belt but is already talking about becoming the UFC’s youngest champion.
Perrin will be desperate to steal his shine and has lost his first two fights in the UFC, meaning a third could see him cut.
Mexican 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. is rated extremely highly despite his young age
Chris Curtis vs Joaquin Buckley
A middleweight barnburner that should really get pulses racing on Saturday night.
Curtis and Buckley both possess concussive power and this could be a short one.
Curtis was hugely frustrated in defeat by Jack Hermansson earlier this year, unable to engage in the kind of war he wanted to.
This could be different and he revealed running into his opponent recently, saying: ‘I saw him [Buckley] at the PI last week. He was like ‘you’re not gonna take me down are you?
‘I will make you a deal Joaquin Buckley, I will not take you down if you don’t make me chase you. We will meet in the middle and we’ll shake hands and fight like gentlemen.
‘Like no shots, no running away, we’ll just fight until someone dies. Everybody’s asking me how I feel about the fight and I just want us both to leave on stretchers, it’s all I want man, I just want that fight so bad.
‘It should be a blood bath. He’s like ‘let’s get fight of the night’, I just went, ‘let’s get fight of the year.’
Joaquin Buckley (above) is a KO artist and aiming for a stand-up fight with Chris Curtis
Cameron Saaiman vs Steven Koslow
This card might be a reference point in years to come as the debut for more than one super talent.
Rosas Jr has attracted plenty of interest but Saaiman moved to 6-0 with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series and the UFC president said: ‘Dude you are impressive. For 21 years old, the way you kept your composure in there… absolutely a professional man. Your new nickname is ‘The Future’.’
The South African is only 21 and is the protege of Dricus du Plessis, who takes on Darren Till further up the card.
Cameron Saaiman (left) is the young protege of fellow South African Dricus du Plessis (right)
The pair were first training partners, then friends and the middleweight is a mentor for his young compatriot.
He likes to stride forwards and outlast his opponents with a barrage of shots but is coming up against a bit of an unknown quantity.
Koslow, 25, is also 6-0 but chases submissions and his strength is certainly on the ground.
He’s also making his UFC debut so we’ll know plenty more about both starlets by Sunday morning.
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article