With Movsar Evloev out, Bryce Mitchell faces Ilia Topuria at UFC 282
UFC 282 has very quickly become perhaps the greatest promotional event of the year, just as many were saying about UFC 280 which went down this past weekend.
UFC 282 is to go down on December 10, 2022, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, and it is to be headlined by UFC light-heavyweight champion (former Rizin 205 lb champion) Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1), who aims to make the first defense of his newly claimed crown in an immediate rematch opposing former champion Glover Teixeira (33-8)
Also on the card is a light-heavyweight affair between a pair of contenders in former champion, no. 2 ranked Jan Blachowicz (29-9), who faces no. 3 ranked Magomed Ankalaev (18-1). That is presumed to be the co-main event of the evening.
Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Paddy Pimblett (19-3) also returns at this event against Jared Gordon (19-5).
Another exciting match up that’s just been added to the card comes in the featherweight division between no. 9 ranked former V3 featherweight champion Bryce Mitchell (15-0, 6-0 UFC) and no. 14 ranked former MFE featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (12-0, 4-0 UFC).
Mitchell was initially slated to face fellow undefeated Movsar Evloev (16-0), also a ranked (no. 10) former champion (M-1 Challenge), at UFC Fight Night 214 on November 5. However, Evloev withdrew from the bout earlier this month with an injury, and he was eventually replaced by Ilia Topuria.
Mitchell originally had called out no. 12 ranked Sodiq Yusuff (13-2) when his booking with Evloev went south, stating that Yusuff had been asking to fight him, but it appears he and the UFC brass have decided on Topuria instead.
This is every bit as exciting as Mitchell’s match up with Evloev.
As you see, he kept an undefeated and ranked opponent. We just need to wait another month to see him fight.
Topuria, like Mitchell is an elite grappler, both of them boasting black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
They both have underrated striking as well.
Mitchell secured a knockdown in his last fight against Edson Barboza, a 25-3 professional kickboxing champion, while Topuria has won four of his last five fights via KO, following a seven-fight submission streak to begin his career.
Who walks away from this featherweight contest still undefeated at UFC 282?
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