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Horse Racing UFC 277 Julianna Peña vs Amanda Nunes Best Bet: The Venezuelan Vixen to Defend
Julianna Peña vs Amanda Nunes Best Bet: Saturday, July 30th
From the moment Dana White put that UFC women’s Bantamweight belt around the waist of Julianna Pena on December 11th of last year, we all knew that this rematch was already in the making. On Saturday, July 30th, Juliana Pena will attempt her first title defence as the bantamweight champion against Amanda ‘The Lioness’ Nunes in the main event of UFC 277. Which one of these two gladiators will take home the belt and will Amanda Nunes bounce back from that devastating loss? Find out in the article below.
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Julianna Peña vs Amanda Nunes Preview
Unibet is telling me that 88% of bets are being placed on Amanda Nunes to regain the Bantamweight title. Okay, fine. These are probably the same people that always pick the favourite, even at 1.12 odds.
But if you take a slight glance at any odds website, you can see the defending champion available as high as 3.32 (Marathonbet) odds (and a lot of them opened at 3.40) whilst Nunes is valued at 1.37 (Pinnacle). I’d like to be alone with my thoughts now, please exit the article.
Need I remind you of the debacle we saw 8 months ago? The defending two-division champ Amanda Nunes gassing out in the second round and tapping to a choke that wasn’t even under the chin? This is preposterous, pardon my language. Granted, Nunes did dominate on the feet and dropped Pena twice in the first round, once with a perfectly-timed calf kick and once with a jab. She was even dominant on the ground for the majority of round 1, but I saw something that rubbed me the wrong way and it was a sure sign of things to come.
In the middle of round 1, Nunes looks up to her team whilst maintaining top control, smiles, and Pena is able to get a hold of her left arm and attempt a kimura. Luckily, the attempt wasn’t successful but Amanda’s face quickly formed a concerned look. That’s what happens when you underestimate your opponents in the world of MMA – they tend to surprise you.
Round 2 was a completely different story, though. Pena decided it was time to retaliate, and turned the fight into a brawl. There wasn’t much striking technique under display in round 2, as the two fighters commenced whaling at each other like drunken sailors. But one thing was evident to anyone with an eye for detail – Nunes was gassing out, and she was petrified by the fact that Pena wasn’t going down! Sure enough, Pena sent a nice 79 significant strikes (almost all head) her opponent’s way, whilst Nunes only managed 46 throughout the fight.
Finally, Pena manages to get a completely exhausted Nunes on the ground, and finishes the fight with a rear-naked choke that was on the JAW! That’s not so much a knock on the Venezuelan Vixen as it is on the former champ. It’s embarrassing and disgraceful! All of this led to the biggest upset in UFC history, with Pena winning the fight at 9.80 odds and Bruce Buffer yelling, ‘And neeeeeew…’
So what? Nunes is still the better overall fighter, right? Wrong. Amanda Nunes has been the most dominant female fighter this sport has ever seen, and the first double-belt female champ in the UFC. But what she also has gotten is lazy and arrogant. Rewatch the fight and tell me I’m wrong. She wasn’t able to KO Pena, she completely forgot her technique, panicked and gassed out. These are all signs of poor preparation and too much self-confidence going into the fight. That’s why she tapped and that’s why she doesn’t deserve 1.37 odds to her name.
Julianna Penna has proven herself as a very durable fighter with a solid ground game and a lot of heart. Despite allowing a back-take in round 1 last time around, she managed to escape and control the momentum of the fight. Whilst her striking technique wasn’t nearly as good as it needed to be, her jaw did the heavy lifting and allowed her to make the fight close. She has never been properly KO-ed in her career before, and at 32 years of age, she is yet to create a legacy for herself in the sport (and earn the big bucks). This is when that happens and it’s only if she gets the victory.
Julianna Peña vs Amanda Nunes Best Bet
let’s face it, Amanda Nunes is one of the most dominant fighters to ever grace the octagon, and there’s no denying it. But from a strictly betting perspective, we’ve got 3.32 odds on the defending champion we know can win, and the bookies are telling us there is a 73% probability that Nunes wins. Top that with a large majority of bettors backing the favourite and you already know where I’m going with this. We’re backing the dog!
- Selection: Julianna Pena to Win
- Best Odds: 3.32 (Marathonbet)
- Stakes: 3/10
Odds as at 2:00 pm July 27th 2022. Odds may now differ.
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