Women’s bantamweight champion Juliana Pena is out to prove she’s more than a one-fight wonder when she takes on former champion Amanda Nunes in a rematch to headline UFC 277 on Saturday. American Airlines Center in Dallas. Pena’s willingness to take on a two-division champion is a big reason he booked the fight with Nunes, who was running weak against viable challengers. Nunes was widely favored against Peña in their meeting last December, but Peña surprised MMA fans when he scored a second-round stoppage to capture his first UFC title. She is now determined to make amends for that victory by clearing the feud with Nunes, who is determined to regain the bantamweight crown.
Nunes is a -300 favorite ($300 risk to win $100), while Peña is a +250 underdog in the latest UFC 277: Pena vs. Nonce Odds from Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, the interim flyweight title is up for grabs as former champion Brandon Moreno (-200) takes on Kai Cara France (+175). Before making any UFC 277 picks, Be sure to check out MMA predictions and betting tips from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first “ToutMaster” UFC betting competition hosted by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on numerous MMA betting and daily fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before every event.
Over the past three-plus years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks have made more than $13,000. The MMA analyst kicked off the 2022 UFC season in January with SportsLine members backing Calvin Katar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in the featherweight main event. Katar’s lopsided unanimous decision win gave Marley’s followers another easy victory. Anyone who has followed him is up.
Now, he has turned his attention to the UFC 277 fight card and locked in his best bets. You can only see his MMA picks on SportsLine..
UFC 277: Juliana Pena Vs. Preview by Amanda Nunes
Nunes (21-5) remains the most dominant female champion in UFC history and one of the all-time greats, regardless of gender. She is the only woman to hold two division titles simultaneously and the only UFC champion to successfully defend both.
The embattled Brazilian slugger hadn’t tasted defeat since a stoppage loss to veteran contender Kate Zingano in September 2014, and some MMA observers believed that streak would end when he fought at UFC 269 last December. She met Peña.
Although Pena (11-4) was 5-2 in seven UFC appearances and was considered a rising contender, he was widely viewed as a pair far from deserving of a title shot. But with essentially no other contenders showing interest in fighting Nunes, Pena not only asked for a title shot, but also insisted that she would dethrone the reigning champion.
His claims were largely ridiculed and attempted to generate interest in a fight that might otherwise have had minimal public interest. However, Peña pushed the pace and forced Nunes to back off and was eventually broken down in a manner not seen before. Now, the new champion can cement her status as an elite fighter if she can manage to clear Nunes. You can see who to return here..
UFC 277 Predictions
We’ll share one of Marley’s UFC 277 predictions here: He’s backing Drakkar Klose (-210) to get the best of Rafa Garcia (+180) in a matchup of lightweight prospects.
Close (12-2-1) is a striking specialist who has gone 4-2 in six UFC bouts but has seen his career progress stalled by various injuries. The Michigan native is coming off a layoff of Brandon Jenkins in April.
Garcia (14-2) is a grappler with eight submissions to his credit. The Californian has won back-to-back fights after dropping his first two UFC appearances.
“Garcia needs a lot of wrestling and success to win. Close is also a decent wrestler, but he needs to keep this fight on his feet and take a clear advantage,” Marley told SportsLine. See who else to pick here..
How to pick UFC 277
Marley also has strong picks for Pena vs. Nunes and every other bout on the UFC 277 card. He’s backing a fighter who “has a big edge on the ground” to emerge with a dominant victory. Marley picks and predictions available only on Sportsline..
Who wins the drink? Versus Nunes? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 277, all from the amazing expert who has raised more than $13,000 on MMA over the past three years. And find out.
UFC 277 Odds, Fight Card
Check out the full UFC 277 picks, best bets, and predictions here.
Amanda Nunes (-300) vs Juliana Pena (+250)
Brendan Moreno (-200) vs Kai Cara France (+175)
Magomed Ankalaev (-475) vs. Anthony Smith (+380)
Sergey Pavlovich (-120) vs. Derrick Lewis (+100)
Don Tal Miz (-140) vs. Hamdi Abdul Wahab (+120)
Alexander Pantoja (-150) vs. Alex Perez (+130)
Drew Duber (-210) vs Rafael Alves (+180)
Matthew Semelsberger (-160) vs. Alex Morono (+140)
Jocelyn Edwards (-140) vs. Ji Yoon Kim (+120)
Ihor Potieria (-145) Nicolae Negumereanu (+125)
Drucker Close (-210) vs Rafa Garcia (+180)
Orion Kos (-170) vs. Blood Diamond (+150)
