UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 15
Introduction
UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2 took place on Saturday, July 30, 2022 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the rematch of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, the night Amanda Nunes reclaimed her GOAT status, and the official creation of the interim flyweight title. The card produced an estimated 550,000 pay-per-view buys.
Amanda Nunes fought a clean five-round championship performance. Final scorecards: 50-44, 50-45, 50-43 — the most lopsided UFC women's bantamweight title fight in nearly six years. Nunes had reclaimed the title she had lost at UFC 269 in stunning fashion.
The co-main was the creation of the interim flyweight title. Brandon Moreno stopped Kai Kara-France via TKO at 4:34 of round three. The featured main-card bout saw Magomed Ankalaev stop Anthony Smith via TKO at 4:24 of round two — the win that positioned him for his eventual title shot at UFC 282.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, July 30, 2022
📍 Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
👥 Attendance: 19,376 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $4.8 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~550,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Julianna Pena (c) vs. Amanda Nunes — UFC Bantamweight Championship (135 lbs)
✅ Result: Nunes def. Pena via Unanimous Decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-43)
🥇 Co-Main: Brandon Moreno def. Kai Kara-France via TKO (knee, punches) — R3, 4:34 — Interim Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
The build-up was about restoration. Amanda Nunes had not lost since 2014 before losing to Pena at UFC 269. The UFC 277 rematch was Nunes's chance to restore her championship reign and GOAT status. Betting opened Nunes at -350.
Main Event: Pena vs. Nunes 2
The rematch was the cleanest five-round performance Nunes had produced since 2019. She controlled every round with boxing, takedowns, and top control. By the end of round five, Nunes had landed 187 significant strikes to Pena's 64. Final scorecards: 50-44, 50-45, 50-43. Amanda Nunes was the UFC bantamweight champion for the second time. The series leveled to 1-1.
Co-Main Event: Moreno vs. Kara-France
Brandon Moreno fought a measured three rounds. At 4:34 of round three, Moreno landed a clean knee from the clinch that hurt Kara-France, then dropped him with a follow-up left hook. Three follow-up strikes against the cage ended the fight. Moreno was the interim UFC flyweight champion.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Amanda Nunes def. Julianna Pena (c) — Unanimous Decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-43) — Bantamweight Title
Brandon Moreno def. Kai Kara-France — TKO (knee, punches) — R3, 4:34 — Interim Flyweight Title
Magomed Ankalaev def. Anthony Smith — TKO (punches) — R2, 4:24 — Light Heavyweight
Alexandre Pantoja def. Alex Perez — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R1, 1:31 — Flyweight
Sergei Pavlovich def. Derrick Lewis — TKO (punches) — R1, 0:55 — Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Drew Dober def. Rafael Alves — KO (punches) — R2, 1:25 — Lightweight
Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Don'Tale Mayes — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Heavyweight
Nicolae Negumereanu def. Ihor Potieria — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Light Heavyweight
Joselyne Edwards def. Ji Yeon Kim — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Bantamweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Amanda Nunes — $50,000 for the dominant five-round unanimous-decision win to reclaim the bantamweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Magomed Ankalaev — $50,000 for the second-round TKO of Anthony Smith.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Alexandre Pantoja — $50,000 for the first-round rear-naked choke of Alex Perez.
Records & Milestones
• Amanda Nunes reclaimed the UFC bantamweight title — the only loss of her seven-year championship reign avenged.
• Brandon Moreno became the interim UFC flyweight champion.
• Magomed Ankalaev's TKO of Anthony Smith positioned him for the title shot at UFC 282.
• Pena-Nunes final series ledger: 1-1 across two meetings.
• Sergei Pavlovich's first-round KO of Derrick Lewis in 0:55 — a launching pad for Pavlovich's six-fight UFC win streak.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 277 is remembered as the night Amanda Nunes reclaimed her GOAT status. The rematch result confirmed that the UFC 269 upset had been a result of Nunes's cardio failure, not a fundamental skill gap.
For Amanda Nunes, UFC 277 was the second-to-last UFC fight of her career. She defended the title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023 (UD), and retired immediately after at age 35 with a 23-5 career record.
For Brandon Moreno, the interim title win positioned him for the fourth meeting with Figueiredo at UFC 283 in January 2023 — a third-round TKO win that completed the four-fight rivalry with a 2-1-1 ledger in Moreno's favour.
FAQ
What changed for Nunes between the two fights?
Cardio. The UFC 269 loss had been driven by Nunes's cardio failure in round two. For UFC 277, Nunes reportedly added strength-and-conditioning work, modified her diet, and trained specifically for the championship rounds. The result was clear: Nunes's output in rounds three through five was nearly identical to her output in rounds one and two.
Did Nunes and Pena fight a third time?
No. UFC 277 was the final meeting between them. Nunes retired in June 2023 after her UFC 289 title defense. Final ledger: 1-1.
Why was an interim flyweight title created?
To produce a definitive contender for Deiveson Figueiredo's fourth meeting with Brandon Moreno. Figueiredo had won the trilogy bout at UFC 270 to make the series 1-1-1. Moreno's TKO win confirmed him as the contender.
Did Moreno and Figueiredo fight again?
Once more. The fourth meeting came at UFC 283 in January 2023 — a third-round TKO win for Moreno that unified the flyweight title and made the final ledger 2-1-1 in his favour. The four-fight series remains the longest championship rivalry in UFC flyweight history.
Did Nunes retire after this?
No, but soon after. Nunes defended the title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June 2023 (UD), and retired immediately after at age 35. Her final UFC career record was 23-5.
How does UFC 277 compare to UFC 276?
UFC 277 drew approximately 550,000 PPV buys versus UFC 276 (600,000) four weeks earlier. UFC 277's gate of $4.8 million was a strong number for an American Airlines Center card.
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