The main event of UFC 277 will feature a bantamweight fight between Julianna Peña (11-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Amanda Nunes (21-5 MMA, 14-2 UFC). UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes airs live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas this Saturday, July 30th. The main card will start with a fight time of 10/7PM ETPT, with the ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ prelims beginning at 8/5PM ETPT and the early prelims kicking off at 6/3PM ETPT.
How do these two stack up?
Peña: 32 years old | 5’6” | 69” reach
Nunes: 34 years old | 5’8” | 69” reach
What have these two done recently?
Peña: W – Amanda Nunes (SUB) | W – Sara McMann (SUB) | L – Germaine de Randamie (SUB)
Nunes: L – Julianna Peña (SUB) | W – Megan Anderson (SUB) | W – Felicia Spencer (DEC)
How did these two get here?
UFC 269 was where everything changed.
The former two-division champion Amanda Nunes was set for her next defense against Julianna Peña, who challenged the ‘Lioness’ to a fight for years. The ‘Venezuelan Vixen’ thought Nunes spent her championship run avoiding her, a view that many laughed off, considering the Brazilian has fought — and defeated — every challenger the promotion set in front of her since acquiring gold. However, when these women shared the Octagon this past December, the only one laughing was Peña.
Peña stunned everyone by submitting Nunes with a rear-naked choke in the second round. The win was so inconceivable to those who expected Nunes to not only retain her championship, but also do it in dominant fashion. When that scenario did not happen, the world was left scratching its head and trying to figure out what went wrong for Nunes. Was it complacency? Was it the mix of long COVID-19 and knee injuries? Or was it Peña just having Nunes’ number? Now months removed from the first fight and a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter, those questions should be answered in the rematch between Peña and Nunes at UFC 277 on Saturday.
Why should you care?
There is so much to learn in this rematch. Can Peña silence those critics who believe the first win was a “fluke”? Can Nunes shake off the loss, return to form and reclaim her bantamweight championship? Is this just a case of the passing of the torch? Tune in to find out!
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