MMA Preview – Julianna Pena vs Amanda Nunes 2 at UFC 277
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JULIANNA PENA VS AMANDA NUNES FACTS
When is UFC 277? Sunday 30th July, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 277? American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 277? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 277
What channel is UFC 277 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 277? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
JULIANNA PENA VS AMANDA NUNES LOWDOWN
The new bantamweight champion, Julianna Pena (11-4) achieved arguably the biggest shock in MMA history back in December last year. She has always been inactive since her debut with serious injuries and pregnancy. She was also 2-2 in her last four which included getting submitted by the striker Germaine de Randamie. However, she put her hand up after submitting Sara McMann with hardly anyone giving her a chance at the female ‘GOAT’. She went on stun Nunes on the feet and did not stop the pressure eventually dragging her down to the canvas and submitting a fatigued lioness ending her five-year reign.
Life was getting too easy for Amanda Nunes (21-5) at the top with no one offering much of a threat since Valentina Shevchenko. She was riding a 12-fight win streak which included five bantamweight and two featherweight title defences. It is fair to say she took Pena too lightly and she lost her head once she got rocked. She has been champing at the bit to get back in the cage while they have been coaching on The Ultimate Fighter and now the day is finally come to Dallas, Texas.
JULIANNA PENA VS AMANDA NUNES PREDICTION
Nunes’ ego lost her that fight. Once she got rocked, she could not accept losing a striking contest and continued to slug it out while clearly dazed allowing Pena to land more clean blows draining the energy bar before squeezing the rear naked choke on the ground.
Nunes ended up eating 90 significant strikes from Pena - 69 of them to the dome. Not what she was expecting. The first round did go as planned, with her power buckling Pena early, landing a clean leg kick and leveraging her power to secure a takedown.
She needs to do exactly the same this time around but be more patient and respect the hands of Pena. Well, enough to try defend them anyway, in particular her jab. She is still levels above Pena on the feet and she can piece her legs up at will.
We expect a slower start from Nunes focusing on her leg kicks. She can chop her down and still mix in the takedown. Pena’s strengths clearly lie in her grappling, but a fresh and undamaged Nunes will be a different beast.
Nunes is clearly desperate to get her hands on Pena and add in the fact that her golden legacy is on the line which will pile on the pressure and make it harder to pace herself. That said, we fully expect her to overwhelm the new champion on the feet and leverage her power to nullify her grappling while enjoying some control time herself.
Prediction: Nunes via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
