UFC 277 Props Preview: Hard-Hitters Perfect for This Texas Card

As we saw last weekend, not every UFC event delivers on its potential. “UFC Fight Night London,” certainly fell short. So how is UFC 277, (which takes place this Saturday) going to be different? According to the UFC 277 props, we can expect at least half of the 13 fights to end in a finish. Of these seven bouts, at least five will most likely feature a knockout. This is courtesy of some of the promotion’s hardest hitters.

Knockout Artists to Deliver Show

From Mike Matheta a.k.a. “Blood Diamond” to Amanda Nunes in the main event, UFC 277 has plenty of knockout artists. The UFC 277 props have odds of at least seven bouts not going to a decision including Blood Diamond’s and Nunes’s bouts. Blood Diamond is set to open UFC 277 in a bout against Orion Cosce. Pundits have this being finished with either Cosce beating up Blood Diamond on the mat or the kickboxer flattening him on their feet.

Other potential knockouts can come in the heavier weight classes. Nick Negumereanu takes on Ihor Potieira at light heavyweight (205 pounds). Don’Tale Mayes fights Hamdy Abdelwahab at heavyweight (265 pounds). And in the same weight division, Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis faces Sergei Pavlovich. Folks can bet on all of these fights not going to a decision at the chalk. In fact, Lewis-Pavlovich is the likeliest to get finished at -600 per the UFC 277 odds.

Two other bouts that could feature a slugfest are Drew Dober-Rafael Alves and Michael Morales-Adam Fugitt. Both Dober and Morales are sizable favorites (Morales is the largest on the event) and have a propensity for throwing heavy leather.

Nunes vs Pena: Another Finish But for Who?

As for Nunes, she gets a second crack at Julianna Pena. The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion got upset by Pena last December. This time, Nunes is still favored and the UFC 277 props predict a finish for her. Interestingly, the odds have a submission finish as the least likely outcome when this was how Pena beat Nunes.

Pena, the current champ, has also lost all of her UFC bouts by submission. Germaine de Randamie, a kickboxer, even earned her first career submission against Pena. Nunes switched camps and is no longer with American Top Team. Those close to her imply she’s been training a lot harder than she did in her first fight.

Nunes submitted Megan Anderson at featherweight, which is her first submission win since becoming a UFC champion; however, the Brazilian is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt as well as a brown belt in Judo. Pena is a purple belt in BJJ but has submitted the likes of Sara McMann and Shayna Baszler (in The Ultimate Fighter) throughout her career.

Underdogs Ready to Pounce

The odds may favor finishes for the favorites. But some underdogs may turn the tables. We mentioned Blood Diamond beforehand. He’s the underdog in his bout and a bet on UFC props is at +250 for him to win by KO. The 34-year-old is notable for being a training partner to middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. He is raw on the mat but on the feet, he may just dust Cosce.

Lewis, who is a slight underdog against Pavlovich, is another interesting dog. The Texan has a bad record fighting in his home state. But he holds the UFC record for having the most KOs in the division. A bet on him to win by KO pays at +150 on the sportsbook.

Fugitt, who is the biggest underdog in the event, is listed at +400 to win and at a whopping +1200 to do it by knockout. He is coming off a 43-second KO victory in LFA over Solomon Renfro. As a late replacement, Fugitt has the element of surprise on Morales although he is coming from a short training camp. Still, many replacement fighters have shocked the favorites with a KO in the past.