UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2 is set to take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on July 30, 2022. The pay-per-view event is loaded with a series of intriguing matchups to look forward to.
The card will be headlined by a much-anticipated women's bantamweight title rematch between reigning champion Julianna Pena and former titleholder Amanda Nunes.
The co-headliner will see No.1-ranked flyweight contender Brandon Moreno duel against No.2-ranked Kai Kara-France for the interim belt. The victor will likely go on to face Deiveson Figueiredo for the undisputed championship.
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The main card of UFC 277 this Saturday will also feature a heavyweight showdown between Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich.
In another intriguing matchup, No.4-ranked surging light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev will return to action to take on No.5-ranked Anthony Smith. While the main card will undoubtedly produce fireworks, the preliminary card for UFC 277 is also lined with intriguing matchups.
Take a look at all the main and prelim card fighters competing at UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2 below.
UFC 277 main card fighters
Here is a list of all the UFC 277 main card fights for this weekend's UFC 277 event:
Juliana Pena vs. Amanda Nunes (women's bantamweight championship)
Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France (flyweight)
Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Alex Perez (flyweight)
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Anthony Smith (light heavyweight)
Julianna Pena (11-4)
Julianna Pena defied all odds when she dethroned Amanda Nunes to become the women's bantamweight champion at UFC 269 last December. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' submitted the then two-division champion with a second-round rear-naked choke, thus becoming the first woman in the organization to beat 'The Lioness' since September 2014.
Pena earned the crowning moment of her career with the performance. The 32-year-old now aims to deliver an encore of her UFC 269 win over Nunes and silence her critics.
Amanda Nunes (21-5)
Amanda Nunes’ 12-fight win streak and her stint as a two-division champion came to a screeching halt when she lost to Pena in their previous encounter. At UFC 277 this Saturday, the Brazilian will be determined to re-establilsh her champ-champ status and prove that she's a better fighter than her rival.
Brandon Moreno (19-6)
Brandon Moreno had his seven-fight unbeaten streak snapped when he dropped the flyweight title to Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision in their trilogy bout in January. 'The Assassin Baby' will be determined to capture the interim belt and set the stage for a rare quadrilogy bout with his longtime nemesis when he faces another former rival in Kai Kara-France.
Kai Kara-France (24-9)
Kai Kara-France will enter UFC 277 this Saturday hoping to claim the interim flyweight title. 'Don't Blink' will also have the opportunity to avenge his loss to Moreno from 2019. The City Kickboxing product is currently riding a three-fight win streak with an upset victory over Askar Askarov being the latest.
Derrick Lewis (26-9)
Derrick Lewis is fresh off a second-round knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa in February. 'The Black Beast' has gone 1-2 in his last three bouts and will be desperately seeking a win against the streaking Sergei Pavlovich to remain in the divisional top five.
Sergei Pavlovich (15-1)
After an unsuccessful promotional debut against Alistair Overeem in late 2018, Sergei Pavlovich strung together three consecutive stoppage wins, most recently dispatching Shamil Abdurakhimov via first-round TKO in March. The 30-year-old Russian will aim to continue his strong form and potentially break into the heavyweight top five when he faces Lewis at UFC 277 on Saturday.
Alexandre Pantoja (24-5)
Alexandre Pantoja is riding a two-fight win streak with his most recent victory coming over Brandon Royval via first-round submission last August. 'The Cannibal' is currently 2-3 in his last five bouts.
Alex Perez (24-6)
Alex Perez's three-fight win streak came to a halt with his loss to current UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2020. After nearly two years of inactivity, the Brazilian will return to action hoping to notch up a win.
Magomed Ankalaev (16-1)
Magomed Ankalaev will head into UFC 277 this Saturday on the back of eight consecutive wins inside the octagon. The 30-year-old most recently defeated Thiago Santos via unanimous decision last March.
Prior to that win, Ankalaev outpointed another former title challenger in Volkan Oezdemir in October 2021. The Dagestani's sole career blemish came at the hands of Paul Craig in his promotional debut in early 2018. A strong performance against Anthony Smith could earn him the next crack at the title.
Anthony Smith (36-16)
Anthony Smith made quick work of Ryan Spann last time out in September, dispatching the 'Superman' with a first-round rear-naked choke submission. 'Lionheart' picked up his third consecutive finish with his performance that night and also earned his second Performance of the Night bonus in those last three fights.
The former title challenger could build another solid case for a title fight if he delivers a strong performance against the streaking Russian on Saturday.
UFC 277 preliminary card fighters
Here is a list of all the UFC 277 prelim card fights for this weekend's UFC 277 event:
Alex Monoro vs. Matthew Semelsberger (welterweight)
Drew Dober vs. Rafael Alves (lightweight)
Don'Tale Mayes vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab (heavyweight)
Drakkar Klose vs. Rafa Garcia (lightweight)
Alex Monoro (21-7-1)
Alex Monoro will enter UFC 277 this Saturday on the back of a three-fight win streak. This is the second time in 'The Great White's' promotional career that he has picked up three straight wins.
Matthew Semelsberger (10-3)
Matthew Semelsberger is on a two-fight win streak inside the octagon. 'Semi The Jedi' has won four of his five fights since making his promotional debut in late 2020.
Drew Dober (24-11-1)
Drew Dober bounced back from back-to-back losses with a stunning first-round TKO of Terrance McKinney in March. The 33-year-old will aim to carry that momentum into his upcoming bout this Saturday.
Rafael Alves (20-10)
Much like his opponent, Rafael Alves is coming off a stunning first-round finish. The Brazilian submitted Marc Diakiese last November and will be looking for another strong performance against his next opponent.
Don'Tale Mayes (9-4)
After a winless (0-2) start in the promotion, Don'Tale Mayes rebounded with back-to-back victories. The 30-year-old dispatched Josh Parisian with a third-round technical knockout in his latest octagon outing in December.
'Lord Kong' was originally scheduled to take on Justin Tafa, who was forced to pull out of the bout. However, he now has a short-notice opponent in UFC debutant Hamdy Abdelwahab.
Hamdy Abdelwahab (5-0)
Undefeated heavyweight Hamdy Abdelwahab is set to make his promotional debut at UFC 277 on Saturday, hoping to stretch his record to a perfect 6-0. 'The Hammer' has finished all of his past five opponents and has been pushed past the first round only once in his pro career.
Drakkar Klose (12-2)
Drakkar Klose is fresh off a second-round TKO win over Brandon Jenkins in April. This was his first fight inside the octagon since losing to Beneil Dariush in March 2020.
Klose was initially booked to take on Diego Ferreira, who pulled out of the fight. The 34-year-old will now take on Rafa Garcia on Saturday.
Rafa Garcia (13-2)
Rafa Garcia suffered back-to-back losses through 2021, but rattled off two consecutive wins thereafter. The Mexican will hope to go 3-2 in the promotion in his next octagon outing at UFC 277 this Saturday.
Watch the top finishes from some of the fighters competing at UFC Tonight: UFC 277 below: