UFC women's bantamweight contenders Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva will battle in the main event at UFC Vegas 77. The five-round showdown will occur on Saturday, July 15, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Holm (15-6-0) defeated Yana Santos via a unanimous decision victory in March at UFC San Antonio. The #3-ranked fighter earned unanimous decision wins over Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana before dropping a split decision to Ketlen Vieira in her lone fight last year.
Bueno Silva (10-2-1) is ranked #10 and has won three consecutive fights, including submission wins against Stephane Egger and Lina Lansberg. She has won four bouts with an armbar submission and is a confident fighter with her sights set on the bantamweight title.
Holm is a world-class boxer looking to return to the bantamweight title picture with a convincing win over Bueno Silva. The 41-year-old, who has zero career submission wins, has won 57% of her victories by knockout and 43% by decisions.
'The Preachers Daughter' stunned Ronda Rousey in 2015 to win UFC gold but is at a disadvantage in power against the talented Brazilian. Holm boasts a 40% striking accuracy compared to 54% for Bueno Silva, averaging 3.17 significant strikes landed per minute.
The New Mexico native sports a takedown accuracy of 31% and defends attempted takedowns with an impressive 78% success rate. However, Holm has not finished a fight in over six years.
Bueno Silva is riding a three-fight win streak at 135 pounds since moving to the bantamweight division at the beginning of 2022. The 31-year-old is a submission specialist, with seven of her 10 wins coming via submissions, but she will be making her first appearance in a UFC main event.
'Sheetara' lands 4.2 significant strikes per minute but is a more dangerous grappler. Bueno Silva has a takedown accuracy of 50% and averages 1.51 submissions per 15 minutes. However, Holm's longtime Albuquerque promoter, Lenny Fresquez, is confident that the veteran striker can compete with Bueno Silva on the mat.
"Holly has evolved," said Fresquez in a telephone interview. "Anywhere the game goes, she can go. She can hang with anybody, anywhere."
Bueno Silva has also noticed Holm's improvement on the mat but feels confident that her grappling skills are superior to her American opponent.
"Now she's improved her game, she's improved her grappling," Bueno Silva told MMA Junkie. "I think it's more grappling, but my grappling is better. I think she'll touch me, touch me, and move, move, move. I think I will knock her out."
The rising contender also feels she will deserve a title shot once she disposes of the former champion and that the division needs a new crop of stars.
"When I knock her out, I'm next for the belt," said Bueno Silva. "The UFC fans need more respect. Nobody wants to watch Amanda and Julianna Peña anymore. The UFC fans need a new face. Mayra 'Sheetara' is the new face, and when I knock her out, I'm next for the belt.'
The betting odds for the high-stakes bantamweight fight are live on most of New York’s legal sportsbooks, including well-known bookmaker WynnBet, which has listed Holm as a -160 favorite.
The most popular bet type for wagering on this UFC fight is the moneyline; a bet is on the odds for who will win the fight outright. A $100 wager on Holm to win the contest at odds of -160 will net a total payout of $162.50.
However, our pick would be to back Bueno Silva to come out on top. A $100 wager at odds of +135 would net a profit of $135, for a total payout of $235.
Over/Under is another popular bet type. This wager is for the number of rounds the fight will last. When betting the total rounds odds, you're putting your money on how long the fight will last.
For example, by taking the Under 2.5 rounds, you're betting that the bout will end before the midway point of the third round. Thus, you're hoping the fight ends in Round 1 or 2 or before the clock ticks below 2:30 in the third round to win the bet.
Bueno Silva has been in form recently, finishing her last three fights by way of submission. But when it comes to endurance, Holm has a slight advantage with an average bout time almost double that of Bueno Silva’s.
We can’t see the fight ending in the first two rounds so a bet of over 2.5 would be our pick. If betting on Bueno Silva to win, we’d be looking for the match to finish somewhere around the third round. However, for a Holm win we may see the matchup go the distance as she looks to wear down her opponent.
The main event at UFC Vegas 77 features women's bantamweight contenders Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva. The five-round matchup will take place on Saturday, July 15, at the UFC's Apex in Las Vegas. UFC fans in New York can watch the fight live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
No.3-ranked bantamweight Holly Holm is a slight favorite over the No.10-ranked Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Vegas 77. Holm is a -160 betting favorite, while Bueno Silva is the +135 underdog, per WynnBet.
A pair of promising fighters, Russian Albert Duraev (16-4-0) and Korean Junyong Park (16-5-0), will battle in an intriguing middleweight matchup. Walt Harris (13-10-0) and Josh Parisian (15-5-0) are both looking to move up the heavyweight ranks, while #13 Norma Dumont (9-2-0) will face #15 Chelsea Chandler (5-1-0) in a women's featherweight showdown. Finally, lightweights Ottman Azaitar (13-1-0) will battle Francisco Prado (11-1-0).
Bets can be placed during the fight as it is happening with live UFC odds that are constantly changing based on what's happening in real time inside the Octagon. The most popular types of in-play bettings are moneyline wagers representing the odds for who will win the fight outright. Other live betting types include the method of victory and how long the fight will last.
For mixed martial arts fans, WynnBet New York is a popular sportsbook where they can place wagers on this exciting women's bantamweight bout.
