By Josh Lynnes
DALLAS, TX – Two title fights headline UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas Saturday night. Amanda Nunes looks to reclaim double champ status with a victory over current bantamweight champion Juliana Peña. Peña took the title from Nunes late last year by second round submission in what many have called the biggest upset in women’s MMA history.
The co-main event features top flyweights battling for the interim title. Former champion Brandon Moreno takes on surging contender Kai Kara-France for the interim belt and the chance at a title unification bout with flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. A rematch nearly 3 years in the making, Kara-France looks to avenge a 2019 Moreno unanimous decision victory.
Heavyweight fan favorite Derrick Lewis faces the surging Russian heavy hitter Sergei Pavlovich in a tilt of top ranked heavyweight combatants.
Another pair of top ranked flyweights look to put their names at the top of the list for a shot at the title in the near future as Alexandre Pantoja faces off with Alex Perez.
Rounding out the main card top 5 light heavyweights Anthony Smith takes on the streaking Magomed Ankalaev in a match-up that could have title implications for wither competitor. Ankalaev has won 8 straight since dropping his UFC debut to Paul Craig in 2018.
Fighting on the prelims Alex Morono returns to take on Matthew Semelsberger in a welterweight tilt. Drew Dober faces Rafael Alves at lightweight as both fighters look to continue momentum with a win. Don’tale Mayes welcomes newcomer Hamdy Abdelwahab to the UFC heavyweight division. Lightweights Drakkar Klose and Rafa Garcia look to move up the rankings.
Early prelims include:
Welterweight – Michael Morales vs. Adam Fugitt
Women’s Bantamweight – Joselyne Edwards vs. Ji Yeon Kim*
Light Heavyweight – Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ihor Potieria
Welterweight – Orion Cosce vs. Mike Mathetha**
*Edwards missed weight(137.5lbs), will forfeit 20% of her fight purse to her opponent.
**Cosce missed weight(172.5.5lbs), will forfeit 20% of his fight purse to his opponent.
Early prelims start at 5:00PM CDT on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+. Action then shifts to ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 7:00PM followed by the pay-per-view main card at 9:00PM on ESPN+ PPV.
