Istela Nunes vs Viktoriia Dudakova Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for UFC Vegas 77 (Dudakova's Grappling Skills Shine)

Nunes vs Dudakova Fight Info, Date & Time

UFC Vegas 77 — Preliminary Card Strawweight Bout
Istela Nunes (6-4, 2 KOs) vs. Viktoriia Dudakova (6-0, 1 KO)
Date: Saturday, July 15, 2023
Fight Time: This will be on the preliminary card, which begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Venue: UFC Apex — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: ESPN+

Nunes vs Dudakova Odds & Prop Bets

All UFC Vegas 77 odds, lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline:
- Istela Nunes: (+172)
- Viktoriia Dudakova: (-225)

Method of Victory:
- Nunes by KO/TKO: (N/A)
- Nunes by Points: (N/A)
- Nunes by Submission: (N/A)
- Dudakova by KO/TKO: (N/A)
- Dudakova by Points: (N/A)
- Dudakova by Submission: (N/A)

Nunes vs Dudakova Prediction

It's been a while since anyone has seen Viktoriia Dudakova fight, as she last took down Maria Silva via unanimous decision at Dana White's Contender Series in August of 2022. The Russian is known for her grappling abilities given that she averages 4.0 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 50% accuracy rate.

Istela Nunes tends to take a much different strategy as she thrives in an upright position, logging 5.05 significant strikes per minute at a 45% accuracy rate. The 30-year-old has yet to find any success at the UFC level, though, most recently losing to Yazmin Jauregui via KO/TKO in December of 2022.

The contrasting styles make it difficult to pick a side here, but Nunes' three-bout losing streak cannot be overlooked. She has lost via KO/TKO, submission and majority decision in that span, which goes to show that she is being outclassed in every way. Don't expect that to change on Saturday evening.

Winner: Viktoriia Dudakova

Nunes vs Dudakova Best Bet

Those willing to take on juiced odds can feel comfortable backing Dudakova on the moneyline. I'll opt to go a different way and trust the 24-year-old to get the job done via submission. Four of her six wins at the professional level have come via submission, as have two of Nunes' four career losses. Look for Dudakova to take this fight to the ground early on before she finds a weak spot in Nunes' defense.

Bet: Viktoriia Dudakova by Submission (TBD)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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