Prediction for the fight Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña

In December 2021, a real sensation occurred in the world of women's mixed martial arts - the biggest underdog in the history of title matches, Julianna Peña, took the belt from the dominant champion Amanda Nunez. Moreover, she did it in the most brutal form, strangling her opponent in the second round. Many were waiting for a rematch between these athletes, and at the UFC 277 tournament, which will be held on July 31, this fight will finally take place.

For the first time in 6 years, Amanda will enter the fight as a contender, and this time there is no such crazy gap in the odds, but the Lioness, despite the defeat in the first clash, retains the status of the favorite. According to her, the revenge will be completely different, and there really is an explanation for this. Well, how high is the likelihood that the Brazilian athlete will again take the throne, let's look at our prediction.

• Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña;
• Amanda Nunes;
• Julianna Peña;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña

Amanda Nunes

After the loss, Amanda moved to the 1st line of the women's bantamweight ranking. Despite this, she is still the champion in the featherweight division, and 2nd in the P4P rankings. She has a black belt in BJJ, a brown belt in judo, as well as a very effective kickboxing, which she uses in most fights.

Nunes is a legendary athlete, and this is backed up by victories over the greatest female fighters in UFC history: Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm and Miesha Tate all held championship titles. Now, it remains for her to prove for the last time that many years at the top did not deprive her of that same sports hunger.

Strengths

Amanda has long proven that she is good in all aspects. Her wrestling skills allow her to neutralize strikers, like the same Jarmain de Randamie, who are not inferior to her in class, and in the stance, the ex-champion cuts opponents due to physical strength and size. But the main advantage of the "Lioness" lies in her fighting IQ, as she feels her rivals very well, always listens to the angle and changes her approach to attacks if the preparations from the audience do not work.

Weaknesses

Few pay attention to the fact that the Brazilian has problems with stamina. In protracted fights, she notices drawdowns in speed and the amount of work performed, although she levels this with clinches and wrestling. And based on the result of the last fight, doubts also arise as to whether Amanda has begun to decline after years of dominance?

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Nunes is 34 years old and her 12-win streak was broken by Julianne last December. Neither Christiana Justino, nor Holm, nor Felicia Spencer with Megan Anderson, failed to stop the predator from Brazil. In the last fight, Amanda made a number of mistakes that became fatal for her. There is no reason to doubt that such a strong-willed athlete like Nunes will come out for revenge in the best possible condition to prove her superiority over the offender. Therefore, we expect from her a more prudent, intelligent and accurate duel.

Julianna Peña

The champion, before making a breakthrough for the UFC title, did not stand out from her colleagues. Her main achievement was the victory at the TUF 18 show, after which she fought at a good level for some time, and then began to lose literally every second fight. Although, this is due to the level of opposition she had to deal with.

She passed the same Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano, but she did not master Valentina Shevchenko and the aforementioned de Randami. Neither her purple belt in BJJ nor her kickboxing skills contributed to significant success in the cage, but the lack of decent competition in the division automatically put her in contender status with a ridiculous streak of 1 win.

Strengths

Julianne is at her best on the ground, where her attacking jitser skills are pumped to the maximum. By the way, close combat and clinches are those positions where she is really dangerous, but only in those cases, as practice shows, if the opponent is not a basic wrestler, and does not exceed her in size. Also, Peña's undoubted advantage is her stubborn and uncompromising style - she can shove on rivals, even when receiving damage, although this largely indicates her low level of adaptation to a change in the balance of power in battle.

Weaknesses

Julie cannot boast of either good defense or striking technique. If it seemed to someone that in the championship fight she denied this, then no, she was simply saved by stamina, but by no means a higher boxing class. Going into trades where it's not really necessary without using her BJJ skills, which she's really good at, is a bad idea, even if you can take hits of any weight.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Peña is 32 years old, and a 3-2 record in her last five appearances suggests there are a lot of gaps in her game, especially considering she lost to more of a striker Jarmain de Randamie and Valentina Shevchenko. With the same Nico Montaño and Sarah McMann, Juliana coped, but the victory over Amanda Nunez will forever remain the crown of her career. The champion will definitely demonstrate one of her best forms in the rematch, and her unconditional faith in herself will allow her to stand to the very end, especially since enough time was allotted for preparation.

Comparative analysis

In terms of dimensions and anthropometry, the ex-champion looks more interesting: she is a couple of centimeters taller, and will definitely have an advantage in weight. In terms of physical strength and striking technique, superiority is also on her side, while the indicators of the amount of work performed by her are also higher. Amanda fights noticeably more carefully, does not rush headlong forward and skillfully combines attacks on floors, opening her opponents' heads to deliver a decisive blow. She is head and shoulders above Julianna in ground control, and that was evident in their first fight. True, Peña turns to BJJ much more often and in this component she will have a loophole if Nunes again gets tired faster than her. However, it is definitely not necessary to count on the fact that the picture of the battle will develop in exactly the same way and Amanda will run out of steam.

It is more than obvious that her strategy will undergo major changes, and now the calculation will be made on the gradual analysis of the current champion, consisting of several stages. In the past confrontation, Nunes had great lowkicks - this is the first weapon that she will use to slow down Julianne. The next stage is the struggle, because there Peña is not ready to compete with her physically, and it will not be difficult for the Lioness to take a dominant position at all. Well, another key to victory is consistent wear and tear. Everything that Julie could offer, she has already done, but no one will cut bone to bone with her, so the champion will have few options for winning due to the effect of surprise.

Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña Fight Prediction

If nothing has changed mentally for Amanda Nunez, and she is really burning with the idea of taking the belt, as she says in her interviews, then the bet on her victory will fully justify itself. Yes, last time she did not show the best performance, but the first round shows how big the gap in skills these girls have. Further, Amanda's mistakes have taken their toll, but otherwise, there is no doubt that her experience, the highest level of striking technique, fighting and a well-planned plan will surpass everything that Julianna is used to taking on her opponents. It is not a fact that it will be an early victory, but with a high degree of probability, the ex-champion will return the belt home. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Amanda Nunes to win