In a women’s bantamweight championship bout in the co-main event, Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes meet Saturday at UFC 277 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Below, we analyze the UFC 277 Peña vs. Nunes odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The card can be viewed on ESPN+ with the early prelims starting at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, the prelims starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, followed by the main card at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View.
Peña, a.k.a. “The Venezuelan Vixen”, stunned the world with a submission win over Nunes at UFC 269 in December as she snatched the belt from the Brazilian. Now, Nunes looks to get it back.
Physically, these two fighters are evenly matched. Nunes holds a 2-inch height advantage, while each has an identical 69-inch reach. Nunes has a 4.55-to-3.36 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while Peña has managed a 67.04% significant strikes accuracy percentage to just 56.84% for Nunes.
The takedown average and takedown accuracy percentages are generally the same for the two fighters, too, and the submission average lead for Peña is rather negligible at 0.91-to-0.82.
Peña has won 2 straight fights via submission and 4 of her last 5 fights have ended via that method — although 2 were submission losses. She has gone the distance just 3 times in her 8 fights at the UFC level.
Nunes looks to bounce back after that stunning submission loss at UFC 269. The Brazilian fighter has finished inside the distance in 5 of her last 7 bouts. She’s won 3 by way of KO/TKO, 2 by way of unanimous decision and has 1 submission win and loss along that span.
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UFC 277 Peña vs. Nunes odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 5:33 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Peña +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Nunes -290 (bet $290 to win $100)
- Total rounds: Over 2.5 (-120) | Under 2.5 (-113)
- Will the fight go the distance? Yes (+165) | No (-240)
[tipico]
UFC 277 Peña vs. Nunes picks and predictions
Records: Peña (12-4-0) | Nunes (21-5-0)
Fight result (2-way line or money line)
Nunes (-290) is considered the challenger here because Peña holds the belt, but it’s fully expected that the Brazilian fighter takes it back. Perhaps that sets up a trilogy fight down the road.
I think the former champ comes in with a chip on her shoulder, and playing NUNES BY TKO/KO (+122) is a value play at plus-money. In 26 career pro bouts, “The Lioness” is 21-5-0 with a 13-2 mark via KO/TKO.
Over/Under (O/U)
The bout ended in Round 2 with Nunes tapping out the last time these fighters squared off. We won’t have another long fight here, either. However, No (-240): Fight to go the distance is just too risky. Instead, take a chance on UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-113), as that prop has cashed in 4 of the last 6 fights for Nunes.
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