Prediction, Odds & Betting tips for Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes at UFC 277.
Prediction, Odds & Betting tips for Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes at UFC 277.
One of the biggest upsets in 2021 was when Julianna Pena defeated Amanda Nunes at the UFC 269. Fast forward several months, and we have these two clashing one another again in the main event of the UFC 277. Pena is again a massive underdog, with numbers that are not common for one champion. On the other hand, Nunes is highly motivated, but still, she doesn’t have that aura of invincibility like before.
Julianna Pena
The champion is confident in her victory here, despite many bookmakers doubting it. Her morale is even more boosted than before due to a strong performance in the first meeting when she responded to all the Nunes’ attacks before confidently breaking the rivals and finishing it via submission.
Pena has 11 wins and four losses. Five of those victories were via submission and three were via KO and decision. She is an all-around fighter who knows how to handle matters both on the mat and stand-up.
She did have some notable wins in the past, over Cat Zingano, Jessica Eye, and Sara McMann, but losses as well, against Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie. The Venezuelan Vixen likes to crack the rival with her left stiff jab and then smash it with right hook, and we saw that against Nunes.
Amanda Nunes
The Lioness was deflated against Pena, and this is something that we haven’t seen for quite some time. She started the bout furiously, but as soon as Pena responded with the same intensity and pace, Nunes sort of backed out.
Her gas tank was shallow, and we can’t say what the reason for that was. Also, she was constantly off rhythm, and Pena managed to counter each of her striking attempts. In fact, that is how Nunes lost the bout, making a couple of misses and eating huge counters coming from the other side.
The Lioness is one of the all-time female greats, and her impact on the sport is absolutely amazing. She was the two-belt champion, beating every relevant name of her era – Shevchenko, de Randamie, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate.
Pena doubled the effort in her practice before this event, and we are sure that Nunes did the same. What we can say here is that this bout will be much more interesting than many think. The odds on Pena are disrespectful, but then again, we need to recognize that Nunes is overall a better fighter even though she lost the first bout.
Our pick in this one is Nunes, and we predict that the Lioness is coming back to her throne. She won’t be reckless as in the previous encounter, and her game plan will undoubtedly be better.
Our verdict: Nunes