Women's bantam- and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes (20-4, 13 KOs, 3 SUBs) will defend her 145-pound strap against Megan Anderson (11-4, 6 KOs, 3 SUBs) at UFC 259: Adesanya vs. Blachowicz on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10pm ET. In the main event, undefeated middleweight champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya (20-0, 15 KOs) will move up to challenge light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (27-8, 8 KOs, 9 SUBs). Let's take a look at the Nunes vs. Anderson betting odds and break down your best UFC online betting odds.
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The Stakes
Amanda Nunes is the greatest women's mixed martial artist of all time. Nobody has accomplished what she has, against the level of competition she's faced. She is the only woman in UFC history to hold titles in different weight classes, and this Saturday she'll defend her featherweight strap against Megan Anderson. If she wins, Nunes continues blazing an unprecedented trail. But Anderson could pull off one of the greatest upsets in promotional history should we have her arm raised. So either way, it's a fight worth watching.
Amanda Nunes (20-4, 13 KOs, 3 SUBs)
Look at the trail of victims Nunes has left in her wake: Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie. In the case of Rousey and Tate, both immediately retired after receiving a beatdown at the hands of the Brazilian. Can't say we blame ‘em: Nunes showed them that their was levels to this, and they were nowhere near her tier. Other accomplishments include being the only fighter to ever knock out Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm.
What separates Nunes from the pack? Let's start with the physical attributes: Lioness is an extraordinary athlete - something not common among women fighters. When she throws punches, her hand speed and power simply cannot be matched. Some women hit hard, but only the 32-year old possesses true knockout power. Just bouncing around the cage, you see how much springier she is than her opponents. You almost start to feel bad for fighters trying to kickbox with her.
On top of her elite 8-point striking, Nunes is a black belt in BJJ. So even if there was a wrestler powerful enough to take her to the ground, they'd have to contend with her lethal grappling skills. The only real weakness she's shown in the past is her gas tank, but we haven't seen those issues surface for years.
Megan Anderson (11-4, 6 KOs, 3 SUBs)
Here's what Anderson has accomplished in six UFC fights: a loss to Holly Holm, a TKO over Cat Zingano, a submission loss to Felicia Spencer, a submission win over Zarah Fairn dos Santos and KO over Norma Dumont. That doesn't exactly scream "title-worthy", but Anderson benefits greatly for fighting in a division that literally has around five fighters. The UFC needs to keep its double champ busy, so a two-fight win streak at 145 is good enough.
Anderson is big and hits hard, coming from a striking background. However, we wouldn't say she's special in any area, physically or skillswise. Getting outwrestled by a boxer in Holly Holm says a lot about her strength in a bigger division, and Felicia Spencer took her down and subbed her too easily. She showed improvement on the mat against dos Santos, but not enough to make her anything but a huge underdog.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Nunes 4.43 / Anderson 1.81
Striking accuracy: Nunes 51% / Anderson 43%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Nunes 2.65 / Anderson 43%
Striking defense: Nunes 57% / Anderson 35%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Nunes 2.61 / Anderson 0
Takedown accuracy: Nunes 55% / Anderson -
Takedown defense: Nunes 84% / Anderson 50%
Submissions per 15 minutes: Nunes 0.73 / Anderson -
UFC Picks
Nunes' money line is far too expensive to justify, even as a parlay. Anderson doesn't have enough pathways to victory to temp a bet. For our money, we like the under on 1.5 rounds at near even money. Nunes entire career has seen her either finish in the first or make it to the final round - that's 14 straight fights. We'll give the GOAT the benefit of the doubt as she's peaking and bet that she ends the fight before the halfway point of round 2.
UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya Card & Odds
Light Heavyweight - Jan Blachowicz +203 vs. Israel Adesanya -250
Women's Featherweight - Megan Anderson +725 vs. Amanda Nunes -1250
Bantamweight - Aljamain Sterling -115 vs. Petr Yan -109
Light Heavyweight - Thiago Santos +130 vs. Aleksandar Rakic -157
Bantamweight - Casey Kenney -137 vs. Dominick Cruz +113
Lightweight - Drew Dober +280 vs. Islam Makhachev -356
Flyweight - Joseph Benavidez +113 vs. Askar Askarov -137
Welterweight - Jake Matthews +170 vs. Sean Brady -206
Lightweight - Aalon Cruz +147 vs. Uroš Medic -176
Flyweight - Jordan Espinosa -127 vs. Tim Elliott +103
Bantamweight - Kyler Phillips +127 vs. Song Yadong -152
Flyweight - Kai Kara-France -137 vs. Rogério Bontorin +113
Women's Strawweight - Lívia Renata Souza +184 vs. Amanda Lemos -225
Light Heavyweight - Kennedy Nzechukwu +196 vs. Carlos Ulberg -240
Bantamweight - Trevin Jones +191 vs. Mario Bautista -235
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