The UFC is looking for a wild Saturday night show at UFC 277 in Dallas. Of course, they booked fights that will likely lead to it as nine of the 13 have UFC betting odds that predict a good chance of a finish. From these fights, we are picking five fighters who will have the crowd buzzing either with an early finish or a late-fight comeback.
Let’s check the latest UFC news, stats, injury reports, and UFC odds. We’ve plenty of UFC picks and predictions for you to consider.
UFC 277 Props
Alves Pounces on Dober
Rafael Alves (20-10-0) meets Drew Dober (24-11-0) in what could be the best fight on the card for as long as it lasts. Alves is a dangerous underdog who hits hard and can submit opponents fast. Dober is incredibly durable and may have the toughest chin in the UFC. But he’s been hurt before and Alves, who starts quickly, will drop Dober and tap him within the first two rounds.
Pick: Alves By Submission +400
Semi the Jedi Flashes Superpowers Early
Speaking of fast starts, Matthew Semelsberger (10-3-0) aka “Semi the Jedi” has that rare one-punch KO power. He’s going in against Alex Morono (21-7-0), who is hittable and has been one-punched before. Bet online on Semelsberger to dust Morono before the end of the first round.
Pick: Semelsberger In Round 1 By KO, TKO, or DQ +600
Pantoja Earns Title Shot with Impressive Win
Alexandre Pantoja (24-5-0) and Alex Perez (24-6-0) should put on a fun scrap, which benefits Pantoja. The Brazilian is durable and has been more active than the injury-prone Perez. While a decision is likely here, there is a good shot for Pantoja to hurt Perez and then submit him at some point. The sportsbook pays double your wager for this to happen. Sign us up.
Pick: Pantoja By KO, TKO, DQ, or Submission +200
Black Beast Rises Again
Would you like to know about Derrick Lewis (26-9-0) as an underdog? The UFC’s leader in heavyweight knockouts is 7-3 as an underdog thanks to his brutal knockout power. Lewis owns KO wins over Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov and even scared the champ, Francis Ngannou that he didn’t do anything for 15 minutes.
Derrick Lewis is clever. He noticed Daukaus was moving & far away. Very hard to land on. He tries a kick that looks like a joke, but isn’t: the jumping roundhouse. It pushes Daukaus to fenceline, which makes him tall and hittable.
Lewis tried inside trip later to do same thing. pic.twitter.com/N9zQwBz5au
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) December 20, 2021
Now, Lewis has had a poor showing in his home state lately. While Sergei Pavlovich (15-1-0) has a massive reach advantage he has not beaten any fighter worth a damn. He may outwork Lewis for most of this fight. But “The Black Beast” will connect and that will be it for Pavlovich.
Pick: D Lewis By KO, TKO, or DQ +140
Pena Outlasts Nunes
In our main event preview, we called for Julianna Pena (11-4-0) and Amanda Nunes’s (21-5-0) rematch to go over the 3½ rounds total. That’s the best UFC bet here although we still like Pena to outlast Nunes, especially at the current lines. Pena is tough as hell. Nunes threw everything at her and she did not slow down.
The former champion, Nunes, will follow a more technical gameplan this time around. She will outstrike Pena and keep the fight standing for most of the first three rounds. However, Pena’s toughness and endurance will win the fight once more. The “Venezuelan Vixen” will mount a late comeback.
As Nunes starts to fatigue into the championship rounds, Pena will continue to pressure her until she breaks once again. Bank on Pena to get it done late in the fight.
Pick: Pena Round 4, 5, or by Decision +390
Early Surprises and Late Rallies Information
- Date: Saturday July30, 6:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas
- Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass
