Check out who the experts at CBS Sports are taking in the pair of title fights set to go down in Dallas
On Saturday night, Julianna Pena has the chance to prove lightning can strike twice when she defends her women’s bantamweight championship against Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 277 from American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Pena shocked the MMA world at UFC 269, submitting Nunes to capture the championship. Prior to the defeat, Nunes had established herself as the greatest female fighter in the history of the sport, winning both the bantamweight and featherweight titles and running through every woman to ever hold either of those championships. Despite coming into the fight with a 2-2 record in her previous four bouts, Pena was able to end Nunes’ run.
In the UFC 277 co-main event, Brandon Moreno looks to recapture gold when the former flyweight champion battles Kai Kara-France for the interim belt. The pair previously met in 2019 with Moreno taking a decision victory. Kara-France has gone on a 4-1 run, including a current three-fight winning streak, since that fight.
With so much happening on Saturday night, let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities.
UFC 277 fight card, odds
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Amanda Nunes -270 vs. Julianna Pena (c) +220, women’s bantamweight championship
- Brandon Moreno -210 vs. Kai Kara-France +175, interim flyweight championship
- Sergei Pavlovich -140 vs. Derrick Lewis +120, heavyweight
- Alexandre Pantoja -200 vs. Alex Perez +170, flyweight
- Magomed Ankalaev -550 vs. Anthony Smith +400, light heavyweight
- Matthew Semelsberger -155 vs. Alex Morono +130, welterweight
- Drew Dober -170 vs. Rafael Alves +145, lightweight
- Don’Tale Mayes -180 vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab +155, heavyweight
- Drakkar Klose -220 vs. Rafa Garcia +180, lightweights
- Michael Morales -650 vs. Adam Fugitt +475, welterweight
- Joselyne Edwards -125 vs. Ji Yeon Kim +105, women’s flyweight
- Nicolae Negumereanu -115 vs. Ihor Potieria -105, light heavyweight
- Orion Cosce -180 vs. Blood Diamond +155, welterweight
UFC 277 picks, predictions
| Campbell | Brookhouse | Mahjouri | Mormile | Wise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pena (c) vs. Nunes | Nunes | Nunes | Nunes | Nunes | Nunes |
| Moreno vs. Kara-France | Kara-France | Moreno | Moreno | Moreno | Moreno |
| Lewis vs. Pavlovich | Lewis | Lewis | Lewis | Lewis | Pavlovich |
| Pantoja vs. Perez | Pantoja | Perez | Pantoja | Pantoja | Pantoja |
| Smith vs. Ankalaev | Ankalaev | Ankalaev | Ankalaev | Ankalaev | Ankalaev |
| Records to date (2022) | 16-17 | 19-14 | 16-17 | 17-16 |
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Pena vs. Nunes
Brookhouse: Combat sports history is littered with great athletes running into specific fighters who just turn out to be their kryptonite, even if it just seemed to not make sense on paper. Vernon Forrest had Shane Mosley’s number even if Mosley was the better fighter historically. Similarly, Forrest lost to Ricardo Mayorga twice despite all reason suggesting Forrest should have won both fights. Is that the case with Pena and Nunes? It could be that Pena’s toughness and ability to gas Nunes out in the first fight was indicative of Pena just having Nunes’ number. That said, it’s hard to side against the greatest female fighter in the history of women’s MMA now that she’s had time to take in the information, train and adjust. Pena deserves all credit for the win and all respect coming into the rematch, but repeating is a big ask.
Mahjouri: Nunes vs. Pena was an unusually messy brawl for Nunes. Pena delivered a winning game plan and the champion deserves a ton of credit. Pena put pressure on Nunes and won a war of attrition. Pena presented the winning game plan on Dec. 11, but I’m not yet convinced she is the overall more skilled fighter. Put respect on the champion’s name but expect a more thoughtful approach by the challenger. Nunes via decision.
Moreno vs. Kara-France
Brookhouse: This is a very tough fight to call. Kara-France is an outstanding fighter who has gotten better performance after performance. It’s just hard to ignore that Moreno has largely done the same. He’s gone three straight fights with Deiveson Figueiredo giving just as good as he got and arguably deserving the win all three outings. Moreno’s pace and combination of sharp striking and offensive grappling make him such a dangerous fighter that he’s got the edge coming into what should be an incredible fight.
Lewis vs. Pavlovich
Campbell: For as self-implosive as his recent knockout defeats to Cyril Gane and Tai Tuivasa appeared to be, Lewis is too much of a sly fox to count out just yet, especially against this level of competition. If Pavlovich, the slight betting favorite who has won three straight since being stopped by Alistair Overeem, is on his way to becoming one of the division’s elite, history will tell you he probably will defeat Lewis. But that remains a huge if and Lewis’ power alone leaves him as the wrong guy to make a huge mistake against while trying to make that leap. Lewis has rebounded huge from one-sided defeats in the past, including the whitewashing put on him by Daniel Cormier in their 2018 title bout. At 37, there’s still enough bite left in Lewis to survive and advance to the next big test.
