UFC 277 Preview: Pena vs Nunes 2 Final Line-Up
UFC 277 PPV is now official after the weigh-in with two title fights in the main event and co-main event. Check the final line-up for UFC 277, preview for the main card and prelims undercard below.
Julianna Pena(c) vs Amanda Nunes – Women’s Bantamweight title bout
Julianna Pena caused a big upset at UFC 269 when she forced Amanda Nunes to tap out. She would be looking to do the same at UFC 277 also. But, will it be as easy as it sounds? Will she be able to bring down the Nunes Fortress twice?
Nunes’ loss at UFC 269 was the first time she submitted to anyone and her first loss since 2014. This included Nunes winning both Bantamweight and Featherweight titles while winning a total of 12 bouts in a row, along with 5 Performance of the Night award. Her victims included current Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko(twice), former champions Ronda Rousey, Meisha Tate, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm and many others. Was the loss to Pena just a blip for her? We will find this out around midnight of July 30.
Brandon Moreno vs Kai Kara-France – Interim Flyweight title bout
A year ago, Brandon Moreno was riding high by defeating Deiveson Figueiredo and winning the Flyweight title. However, he has since lost the title back to Figueiredo in their trilogy bout which was as shocking as his title win. Moreno was in great form before that loss as he won 5 and drew twice in his seven bouts before that. Will he be able to bounce back to win the interim title?
Kai Kara-France lost his previous bout to Moreno when they last clashed in December 2019. Kara-France has since won three performance bonuses in his 4 wins in 5 bouts since that loss. Is he ready for the title yet?
Derrick Lewis vs Sergei Pavlovich – Heavyweight bout
Since the start of 2021, Derrick Lewis has been on a roller coaster ride. He started 2021 with a big win over Curtis Blaydes, which brought him to a title contender status. He then lost the interim title bout to Ciryl Gane before ending the year with a win over Chris Daukaus. However, an upset loss to Tai Tuivasa has brought him back to the middle of the pack in the ranking.
Facing him will be Sergei Pavlovich, who returned to action earlier this year with a first-round TKO win over Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC London. Pavlovich is currently ranked at #11 in UFC Heavyweight rankings, but a win here would surely bring him near top 5. Will he be another fighter to upset Lewis?
Alex Perez vs Alexandre Pantoja – Flyweight bout
Former title challenger Alex Perez returns to the octagon for the first time since losing to Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2020. Perez has had a string of bad lucks with fight cancellations and missing weight since that bout. But this time, both Perez and his opponent, Alexandre Pantoja have successfully weighed in at 125.5 lbs to make the flyweight fight official. Will the inactivity cost Perez here as he comes against Pantoja, who has won both of his bouts in 2021?
Magomed Ankalaev vs Anthony Smith – Light Heavyweight bout
Both Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith have been quite active in recent years with both taking part in 5 bouts since the start of 2020. Ankalaev has been rising in the Light Heavyweight ranks as he builds a winning streak since a loss in his UFC debut in 2018. Smith has also turned around his career with three fights winning streak, which also includes two Performance of the Night bonuses. Either man will be in title contention soon enough if they manage a win on this PPV opener. Who will it be?
Prelims Card
- Matthew Semelsberger vs Alex Morono – Welterweight bout
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs Don’Tale Mayes – Heavyweight bout
- Drakkar Klose vs Rafa García – Lightweight bout
- Drew Dober vs Rafael Alves – Lightweight bout
Early Prelims Card
- Michael Morales vs Adam Fugitt – Welterweight bout
- Nicolae Negumereanu vs Ihor Potieria – Light Heavyweight bout
- Joselyne Edwards vs Ji Yeon Kim – Women’s Bantamweight bout
- Orion Cosce vs Mike Mathetha – Welterweight bout
