Two exciting matchups added to UFC Vegas 77 on July 15

UFC Vegas 77 or UFC Fight Night 224, set for July 15th, will feature the return of the No.3-ranked bantamweight Holly Holm as she takes on the No.10-ranked Mayra Bueno Silva. Two exciting matchups have been added to the UFC Vegas 77 card.

In a strawweight bout, Istela Nunes from Brazil will take on the undefeated Russian DWCS winner Viktoriya Dudakova. The other fight is a middleweight bout featuring another Russian fighter Albert Duraev, who will take on Korean fighter Jun Yong Park.

Istela Nunes is currently on a three-fight losing streak, having lost all of her promotional bouts. She has a promotional record of 0-3 and an overall MMA record of 6-4.

On the other hand, Viktoriya Dudakova is an undefeated fighter with a 6-0 record from Russia. She appeared on Dana White's Contender Series with a 4-0 record in 2022 and secured a unanimous decision victory over Maria Silva.

Albert Duraev, nicknamed 'Machete', is another Russian DWCS fighter on the card. He has a record of 16-4 with a 2-1 promotional record. His only promotional loss came to Joaquin Buckley at UFC ESPN 37 due to a doctor's stoppage as a result of a swollen eye.

Duraev's opponent is the surging Jun Yun Park, who has a similar overall record of 16-5. However, Park has a more impressive promotional record of 6-2, with two rear-naked choke finishes in his last three wins.

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UFC Vegas 77 main event: Which bantamweight will reign supreme?

Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva, both have had a good year so far, with each of them racking a win in 2023. 'The Preacher's Daughter' last fought Yana Santos in March who she beat via unanimous decision. 'Sheetara' last fought in February against Linda Lansberg who she beat via submission due to kneebar in the second round.

This is a classic striker versus grappler matchup, where Holm is the striker with excellent boxing credentials and eight wins by knockout. Silva is the grappler in this matchup who has won seven of her 10 career wins by submission.

Holly Holm is ranked at No.3 in the bantamweight rankings while Silva is ranked at No.10. The keys to victory for each fighter are quite straightforward. Holm has to avoid any grappling exchanges and keep Silva on the outside using her combinations and kicks.

Mayra Bueno Silva has to avoid getting into a firefight with 'The Preacher's Daughter', and try to take the fight to the ground if she wants to ensure a victory. This is a very important fight for the women's bantamweight division. Holm stands to enter the title contention picture if secures a dominant win over the surging Brazilian fighter who is currently on a three-fight win-streak.