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Women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña is out to prove she’s more than a one-fight wonder when she takes on former champion Amanda Nunes in a rematch Saturday to headline UFC 277. Their main-event showdown tops the UFC 277 fight card (10 p.m.) from American Airlines Center in Dallas. Peña’s willingness to take on the two-division champion is a major reason why she booked the fight with Nunes, who was running thin on viable challengers. Nunes was a massive favorite against Peña in their meeting last December, but Peña stunned MMA fans when she scored a second-round stoppage to earn her first UFC title. She’s now determined to validate that victory by sweeping the rivalry with Nunes, who is bent on regaining the bantamweight crown.
Nunes is a -300 favorite (risk $300 to win $100), while Peña is a +250 underdog in the latest UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 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 rising prospect Kai Kara-France (+175). Before making any UFC 277 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past three-plus years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $13,000. The accomplished MMA analyst kicked off the 2022 UFC season in January by telling SportsLine members to support Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in the featherweight main event. Kattar’s lopsided unanimous-decision victory gave Marley’s followers another easy winner. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he’s turned his attention to the UFC 277 fight card and locked in his best bets. You can only see his MMA picks at SportsLine.
UFC 277: Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes preview
Nunes (21-5) remains the most dominant female champion in the history of the UFC and is one of the all-time greats regardless of gender. She is the only woman to ever hold two division titles simultaneously and the only UFC champion to successfully defend both.
The sinister Brazilian slugger hadn’t tasted defeat since losing by stoppage to veteran contender Cat Zingano in September 2014, and few MMA observers believed that streak would end when she met Peña at UFC 269 last December.
Although Peña (11-4) was 5-2 in seven UFC appearances and considered a rising contender, she was widely viewed as a couple wins away from meriting a title shot. But with essentially no other contenders showing interest in fighting Nunes, Peña not only asked for the title shot, but also insisted she would unseat the dominant champion.
Her claims were mostly scoffed at and chalked up to an attempt to generate interest in a fight that might otherwise hold minimal public interest. However, Peña pushed the pace and forced Nunes to retreat and eventually crumble in a fashion previously unseen. Now, the new champion can cement her status as an elite fighter if she can manage a sweep of Nunes. You can see who to back here.
UFC 277 predictions
We’ll share one of Marley’s UFC 277 predictions here: He is backing Drakkar Klose (-210) to get the best of against Rafa Garcia (+180) in a matchup of lightweight prospects.
Klose (12-2-1) is a striking specialist who has gone 4-2 in six UFC appearances but has seen his career progress halted by various injuries. The Michigan native is coming off a stoppage of Brandon Jenkins in April.
Garcia (14-2) is a grappling ace who has eight submissions to his credit. The Californian has won back-to-back fights after dropping his first two UFC appearances.
“Garcia is going to need to have a lot of wrestling and grappling success to win. Klose is a decent wrestler as well, but he should keep this fight on the feet and have a clear advantage,” Marley told SportsLine. See who else to pick here.
How to make UFC 277 picks
Marley also has strong picks for Peña 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’s picks and predictions are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Peña vs. Nunes? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 277, all from the incomparable expert who’s up more than $13,000 on MMA in the past three years, and find out.
UFC 277 odds, fight card
See full UFC 277 picks, best bets, and predictions here.
Amanda Nunes (-300) vs. Julianna Peña (+250)
Brandon Moreno (-200) vs. Kai Kara-France (+175)
Magomed Ankalaev (-475) vs. Anthony Smith (+380)
Sergei Pavlovich (-120) vs. Derrick Lewis (+100)
Don’Tale Mayes (-140) vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab (+120)
Alexandre Pantoja (-150) vs. Alex Perez (+130)
Drew Dober (-210) vs. Rafael Alves (+180)
Matthew Semelsberger (-160) vs. Alex Morono (+140)
Joselyne Edwards (-140) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (+120)
Ihor Potieria (-145) Nicolae Negumereanu (+125)
Drakkar Klose (-210) vs. Rafa Garcia (+180)
Orion Cosce (-170) vs. Blood Diamond (+150)