UFC 277: Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Pena vs. Nunes 2

UFC 277 comes to American Airlines Center in Dallas with a few burning questions that will be answered. The most pressing of which is whether Julianna Pena has what it takes to upset Amanda Nunes for a second time.

The women's bantamweight title rematch serves as the finale for the second pay-per-view event of the month.

An interim title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara France will act as the lead-in to the anticipated title rematch. The card also features appearances from Derrick Lewis, Anthony Smith and Magomed Ankalaev.

Here's a look at the complete offering and the biggest questions that will be answered in the biggest fights.

Main Card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Julianna Pena (c) (+235, bet $100 to win $235) vs. Amanda Nunes (-280, bet $280 to win $100) – women's bantamweight championship
• Brandon Moreno (-215) vs. Kai Kara-France (+185) – interim flyweight championship
• Derrick Lewis (+130) vs. Sergei Pavlovich (-150)
• Alexandre Pantoja (-195) vs. Alex Perez (+165)
• Magomed Ankalaev (-580) vs. Anthony Smith (+440)

Prelims (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Alex Morono (+135) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (-155)
• Rafael Alves (+145) vs. Drew Dober (-170)
• Hamdy Abdelwahab (+170) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (-200)
• Rafa Garcia (+170) vs. Drakkar Klose (-200)

Early Prelims (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

• Adam Fugitt (+450) vs. Michael Morales (-600)
• Joselyne Edwards (-130) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (+110)
• Nicolae Negumereanu (-120) vs. Ihor Potieria (+100)
• Orion Cosce (-205) vs. Mike Diamond (+175)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

There's a reason why few fighters ever leave the sport of MMA without taking at least one loss. Even the greatest fighters of all time have an off night.

So when a longtime champion like Amanda Nunes loses for the first time in more than seven years, it's fair to wonder if it had more to do with her having a bad night at the office.

In some ways, that discounts what Julianna Pena did, though. The now-champion called for a fight against Nunes multiple times. It didn't make sense when she had already lost to Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie. Yet she persisted.

She backed up her talk with a fearless performance against Nunes. While many have backed away from the fierce Brazilian in the pocket, Pena pressed forward and landed heavy strikes of her own.

If this is a technical boxing match, Nunes is the likely winner. She's more polished on the feet and still has great power.

However, Pena is out to prove this wasn't a one-off occurrence, and she's shown she has the goods to take Nunes down. Don't be shocked if we see the same result.

Prediction: Pena via third-round TKO

Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara France have come a long way since fighting each other on the UFC Fight Pass prelims on UFC 245 in 2019.

Back then, Moreno and Kara France were relatively unknown, and Moreno scored a unanimous decision victory. The fight was mostly a kickboxing match that saw Moreno keep Kara France on the outside and dissect him en route to the win on points.

Since then, Moreno has gone on to to have an epic trilogy in which he won and lost the flyweight title to Deiveson Figueiredo. Meanwhile, Kara France seems to have upgraded his power, finishing Rogerio Bontorin and Cody Garbrandt before beating Askar Askarov via decision.

So the pivotal question becomes whether Kara France's improved striking and knockout ability is going to be enough to give him the edge over Moreno this time.

The answer is probably no. Moreno just went 13 rounds with one of the most powerful strikers in the division in Figueiredo. Not only did he survive, but he's the one who finished his opponent while the current champion only beat Moreno on the cards.

It's much more likely that Moreno actually uses his grappling this time, ensuring that Kara France doesn't even get the chance to land any of his heavy punches.

Prediction: Moreno via second-round submission

Derrick Lewis is a great litmus test for rising heavyweights. The Black Beast hasn't been able to get it done when given the best of the best in the division, but he's dangerous enough to knock out anyone.

So when a fighter like Sergei Pavlovich starts moving up the rankings, it's a great idea to put him in the cage with Lewis and see what happens.

Lewis holds the UFC record for most knockouts with 13. He comes out swinging early, and even when he's exhausted, he's still a threat to pull a knockout punch from nowhere.

Pavlovich was probably given too much of a challenge too soon when he was knocked out in his UFC debut against Alistair Overeem. But since then, he's racked up three straight knockouts.

The 30-year-old boasts an 84-inch reach, which could be the X-factor here if he uses it right. Keeping his distance in the first round will be key. If he can make Lewis chase him around and fight behind his jab, he could be in a good position to get a TKO down the road.

It's a little different tactic than he's utilized in his most recent fights, but the game plan is there for him to get a huge win with a calculated performance.

Prediction: Pavlovich via second-round TKO

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