LAS VEGAS – The days are winding down until a new UFC light heavyweight champion is crowned, and as the UFC 282 headliner approaches, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev finally had their first staredown.
Following Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, which took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Blachowicz (29-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) and Ankalaev (18-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) officially crossed paths for the first time during fight week and had a staredown.
Both men were respectful as they came face-to-face, and you can watch the video above.
Blachowicz and Ankalaev are fighting for vacant gold after Jiri Prochazka suffered a serious should injury that forced him to relinquish the strap. It’s expected he will get a title shot once healthy, but for now, he’s forced to watch two others compete for gold.
UFC 282 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282 and check out the full pre-fight news conference video below.
