UFC 269 goes down this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the co-main event, Amanda Nunes defends her bantamweight title against Julianna Pena.
Nunes hasn’t defended her bantamweight title since her unanimous decision win against Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 in 2019. Her last two outings were at featherweight, where she made successful title defences against Felicia Spencer and Megan Anderson. Pena returned to winning ways with a submission win against Sara McMann at UFC 257.
Analysis And Prediction
Nunes is a whopping -900 favourite and for good reason. She’s the greatest female fighter of all time, and is extremely well rounded. The Brazilian has got vicious knockout power in her hands, and is incredibly strong and technical on the ground as well. Pena has holes in her striking game, but her grappling skills are solid.
Will her grappling skills be enough to neutralise Nunes? It’s highly unlikely. ‘The Lioness’ is extremely good on the mat and can easily turn the tables on the challenger with vicious ground and pound. Realistically, Pena doesn’t stand much of a chance in any department. Both fighters approach fights differently as well. Nunes starts off aggressively, with intentions to finish the fight as early as possible, whereas Pena is a slow starter, which will only make things tougher for her.
Statistically, Nunes is better also as she lands four-and-a-half significant strikes per minute on average, while she absorbs two-and-a-half. Pena lands nearly three significant strikes per minute on average, while she absorbs less than two. The two fighters are very even in the grappling department as both score two-and-a-half takedowns and attempt close to 1 submission per 15 minutes. Nunes has a much better takedown defence compared to Pena, however.
Unless Pena pulls a rabbit out of her hat, Nunes will dominate and earn a stoppage win at UFC 269.
Prediction: Amanda Nunes by TKO
Betting Odds:
Amanda Nunes (-900)
Julianna Pena (+600)
Who do you think will win the bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena at UFC 269?
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