"That is a ridiculously bad strategy" - Chael Sonnen critiques Amanda Nunes for refusing to go on top of Julianna Pena in the early rounds of their UFC 277 rematch
Chael Sonnen was surprised by Amanda Nunes' reluctance to inflict ground-and-pound damage on Julianna Pena despite dropping her multiple times during their rematch. Pena and Nunes headlined the UFC 277 pay-per-view at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on July 30.
Nunes picked up a dominant and lopsided unanimous decision win on the night, managing to recapture the women's bantamweight title. Despite Nunes' seemingly flawless and thoroughly dominant performance, there were aspects of the fight where the Brazilian's reluctance to engage left Sonnen unimpressed.
I absolutely need a Pena Vs Nunes 3. Nunes reigns the GOAT #UFC277 https://t.co/iZ8CEyE2ON
During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' claimed that Nunes should have tried to land vicious ground-and-pound strikes on Pena after knocking her down instead of letting her back up.
Although she didn't pay for it, Sonnen explained that fighters wear out as the fight goes on, so it's always a better idea to finish opponents when there's an opportunity to do so instead of trying to outclass them for the entire fight.
"That is a ridiculously bad strategy. If you hurt somebody and they go down, you get on top of them right now. You don't let them come up when they're wild and furious and they're fighting because they're a cajun animal that's backed into a corner. You smother them and you pound them and you keep them there, but Amanda didn't do that. She let her up not once, not twice, but three times. It was a mistake, it was an error, [but] she didn't pay for it."
Watch the video below:
What's next for Amanda Nunes?
Amanda Nunes has once again reinstated herself as the queen of the women's bantamweight division. She had previously ruled the division with an iron fist and is expected to do the same moving forward. Before fighting Pena, Nunes almost seemed invincible inside the octagon.
Following UFC 277, Nunes said she'll take some time off to recover and spend time with her family before thinking about her next fight. What are the options she has? A legitimate contender is yet to emerge in the division right now, so there are two possibilities that come to mind instantly, both being trilogy fights.
Amanda Nunes could either share the octagon with women's flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko in a fight that fans would love to see or she could settle her rivalry in a rubber match with Pena.
PFL lightweight star Kayla Harrison also took to Twitter to suggest she may be interested in fighting 'The Lioness', but she's under contract with another promotion for the immediate future.
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