UFC Fight Night 282 takes place this tomorrow in Abu Dhabi and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov
Magomed Ankalaev’s brief 2025lb title reign and 14-fight unbeaten run came to end after being quickly TKO’d by Alex Pereira in their rematch last time out. Now he goes up against the 10th ranked Bogdan Guskov, who comes in on just two weeks notice and has put together four wins and a draw in his last five Octagon appearances.
The 34-year-old Ankalaev will have been disappointed not only to have lost by strikes for the first time in his career against Pereira last time out, but in particular to have been stopped in just 80 seconds after his opponent got off to an aggressive start. That was somewhat of a surprise as Ankalaev’s composed, methodical style from range is usually effective and quite press-resistant, doing a good job of keeping opponents at bay with punches and kicks. He’s never been a particularly high-volume striker, but he has good accuracy and respectable power, with 10 finishes via strikes to date. Ankalaev can also mix in some wrestling and can grapple, though he’s not much of a submission threat. On top of that he has good cardio management and has a strong 10-0 record in fights that go the distance.
The 33-year-old Guskov comes in off a majority draw against former champion Jan Blachowicz that saw him close to finding a finish in the second round after flooring him, but the veteran survived and actually dropped him late on in the fight. Prior to that Guskov had beaten four opponents inside the distance, continuing his record of having finished all 18 of his career wins before the final bell. Guskov is most potent on the feet as though he’s not all that technical with his striking he does have heavy hands that account for 15 of his victories. The other three wins came via choke-based submissions, but his defensive grappling isn’t as convincing and his cardio can also be an issue.
Ankalaev is the better all-round fighter here and the longer it goes the more it favors him as he efficiently picks his opponent apart from range over five rounds to win by decision.
Pick: Magomed Ankalaev wins by decision.
Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
Steve Erceg has won his last couple of fights and now goes up against Ramazan Temirov, who has gone 2-0 since joining the promotion.
The 30-year-old Erceg has been open about how his rapid rise to title contention left him questioning whether he was ready to face the division’s elite, contributing to a three‑fight slump. Since then he’s had to take a step back in competition and managed to steady himself with solid decision wins over Ode Osbourne and Tim Elliott. Erceg is a composed, technically sound fighter with clean boxing fundamentals, good accuracy and timing when exchanging, and he’ll have a clear size advantage here thanks to an extra 4″ in height and 5″ in reach. He’ll mix in a few elbows and kicks at times, but in general he’s not a particularly hard-hitter. Meanwhile, he can wrestle and has assured grappling that was a hallmark of his winning run on the regional scene, which included a number of submission victories.
The 29-year-old Temirov has a 19‑3 career record, including a brief stint in Rizin. He has looked sharp in the UFC so far, including a win over Charles Johnson, but has since served a one‑year suspension for a banned substance. Short and stocky, Temirov carries real explosive power in his hands, with 11 of his wins come by strikes, and five of his last six victories ending in the first round. He tends to rely on big moments rather than consistently winning exchanges though, but that’s been effective enough that he’s still gone 7‑2 in fights that go to the judges. He’s not much of a grappling threat, but his takedown defense helps keep the fight upright.
This is a competitive fight that could go either way. I think Erceg has a good chance of landing the higher volume of strikes over the course of the fight, but I do also feel that Temirov will be the one landing the more damaging blows, which will enable him to emerge with a narrow decision victory.
Pick: Ramazan Temirov wins by decision.
Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman
Islam Dulatov’s 1st round KO victory in his UFC debut took him to 12-1 overall and he’s now matched up against Wellington Turman, who has lost three in a row.
The 27-year-old Dulatov is a 6’3″ athletic striker with proven finishing instincts, with all 12 of his wins coming inside the distance, and only one going beyond the opening round. He starts fast, has respectable technique, and carries clear power, helped here by a 3″ height and reach advantage. He’s also quick to jump on submission opportunities, with four sub wins all coming in under a minute. The unknown is how he looks if a fight goes beyond that fast and furious first round, with the only evidence being that the single loss on his record was a decision in his pro debut six years ago.
It’s surprising to see the 29-year-old Turman resurface as he’s been out of action for two-and-a-half years since losing three fights in a row. Turman’s striking has never really been a strong suit for him and so it can often lead to him opting for a more grinding clinch-based approach on the feet. He is a threat on the mat though with his BJJ black belt helping him to eight submission victories, but his wrestling isn’t good enough to frequently secure the takedowns he needs to get the fight where he wants it.
This seems like a good fight for Dulatov on paper, and even moreso given that Turman is coming off a long spell on the sidelines. As such I think he gets off to his usual fast start and finds another 1st round TKO victory.
Pick: Islam Dulatov wins by TKO in Rd1.
Magomed Zaynukov vs. Damian Rzepecki
Magomed Zaynukov arrives for his UFC debut with an 8‑0 record after a win on the Contender Series, while Damian Rzepecki also makes his first appearance after a 10‑0 regional run in Poland.
The 31-year-old Zaynukov is a decorated muay thai striker from Dagestan who transitioned smoothly to MMA and trains under Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’s an assured striker who mixes his frequent versatile kicks and solid punches well, and is also a solidly capable wrestler too when required. Five of his wins so far have been by strikes and three by decision, but he’s yet to find a finish via submission.
At 24-years-old, Rzepecki still has room to develop, but he has solid boxing, including working the body well, and he appears to be harnessing his power now, with three of his last four wins on the regional circuit coming via KO. He’s also proven to be dangerous on the mat via submission, including multiple rear‑naked chokes and even a Japanese necktie finish. His defensive wrestling, however, is a weak link and could be exposed at the UFC level.
I feel Zaynukov is the more polished striker here and will also have the wrestling advantage too, so I think he’ll fight his way to a decision win here.
Pick: Magomed Zaynukov wins by decision.
Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune
Rizvan Kuniev is 1‑1 in the UFC so far and now meets Tyrell Fortune, who earned a decision win in his promotional debut in March.
Kuniev, 34, is a well‑travelled veteran who is a former Eagle FC champion, also fought for PFL, and had two TKO wins on the Contender Series. That led to him being given a challenging UFC debut against Curtis Blaydes, which he lost by split decision, before managing to outwork Jailton Almeida for a decision win last time out. Although he comes from Dagestan, Kuniev is more of a striker than a wrestler, relying on steady boxing alongside some kicks and knees, and competent clinch work. Along with six of his 13 wins coming via strikes he also has had two by submission, and he’s never been stopped in his career.
The 36-year-old Fortune has a solid foundation in wrestling that led to him being picked up immediately by Bellator when he transitioned to MMA. He’s spent eight years there, going 13‑2 (+2nc), but was never pushed to face much in the way of notable opposition along the way. He’s eventually been picked up by the UFC via a short-notice opportunity, which led to him securing his most notable win yet by outpointing Marcin Tybura. Fortune is a decently athletic wrestler with genuine power and heavy ground‑and‑pound, but his output is lacking, he can struggle against more technical strikers, and his defensive wrestling isn’t as good as you might expect.
I think this one might turn into a stand-up fight that never fully sparks to life, with Kuniev managing to get the better of the exchanges to get the win on the scorecards.
Pick: Rizvan Kuniev wins by decision.
Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
Ismael Bonfim is on a two-fight skid as he now looks to get back on track against Axel Sola, who is coming off the first defeat of his 12-fight career.
The 30-year-old Bonfim’s younger brother Gabriel is making a real impact in the UFC’s welterweight ranks, but Ismael is finding the going more difficult in the division below him, losing three of his last four fights. Bonfim had gone 18-3 in his career prior to that though, including a flying knee KO win over Terrence McKinney in his UFC debut. Bonfim is more striking orientated than his brother, utilizing his compact boxing to deliver fast combinations of punches to the head and body with reasonable power. He can put himself in harm’s way at times to land his strikes, but had generally been quite durable up until his last couple of fights, which have both ended by TKO. Added to that, Bonfim also badly missed weight last time out and looked out-of-sorts in that fight. A more long-running problem however is his defense on the mat, with four of his six defeats being by submission, though he does have decent wrestling and a few submission wins to his name.
The 28-year-old Sola had an extensive run as an amateur before going to put together a solid 11-1-1 record so far as a pro. That includes a TKO win over Rhys McKee in his UFC debut, before dropping his first career loss by decision to Mason Jones. Sola is a steady all‑rounder with good conditioning who has experience of successfully going five rounds in the past. He performs best when he’s not just solely relying on his striking, by mixing in clinch work, wrestling, and grappling to get control of the action.
Bonfim’s inconsistent form lately is a bit of a concern, and with Sola being more consistent and having the tools to avoid just standing and trading with him I think he carefully grinds out a decision victory here.
Pick: Axel Sola wins by decision.
Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)
Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev
Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen
Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammad Said
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson
Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike Davis
Abdul Hussein vs. Cody Gibson
