Chael Sonnen explains why the Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena rematch should take place at 145 pounds
![Chael Sonnen (left), Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena (right) [Images courtesy: @sonnench and @ufc on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/12/f695d-16400058409377-1920.jpg?w=500)
After Julianna Pena's stunning upset of Amanda Nunes at UFC 269, Chael Sonnen believes the second meeting between the pair should be contested at 145 pounds.
While Nunes lost her UFC bantamweight strap to Pena, she is still the reigning women's featherweight champion and has held the belt since 2018.
In an episode of his Beyond the Fight YouTube series, Sonnen explained that Amanda Nunes has something to offer in the likely rematch, her 145-pound gold. The former UFC star believes given the potential bout with free agent Kayla Harrison, it makes sense to draw attention to the featherweight class.
"Why is Amanda not putting something up? Amanda has something to offer to the 145-pound belt. 145 pounds matters a lot right now because it would not only be about Amanda Nunes. You could then, for the first time in women's history, draw into Kayla. And either way, it works. We were all excited for Amanda Nunes but that was only going on for three to four weeks, maybe closer to two weeks, and Dana went as far as to call it a mega fight. We do that exact same thing, except with Jules [Pena] and Jules is going to meet you halfway.
"Amanda is going to sit back and we're going to have to tell the story. Jules is going to come and put on a performance and she's going to tell the story. In all fairness, they both had two months. Jules did a better job of getting attention and notoriety to the fight with Kayla than Amanda was. She said, 'I'll rematch, I just assumed it was at 145. I [Pena] am the champion here, I'll give you a shot at redemption and you [Nunes] are going to give me a crack at that belt."
You can watch the full episode of Beyond the Fight below:
Amanda Nunes accepts rematch with Julianna Pena
Julianna Pena dethroned Nunes at UFC 269 by locking in a rear-naked choke in the second round. Soon after her win, the newly crowned champion made it clear that she is willing to give the 'Lioness' a chance at redemption.
UFC president Dana White soon confirmed that the Brazilian would get a rematch against Pena. Nunes appeared to accept it without hesitation in a post uploaded to Instagram.
"You guys think I’m going to go out unbalanced. I undoubtedly accept the rematch."
A rematch with Julianna Pena would allow Amanda Nunes the opportunity to exact revenge on 'The Venezuelan Vixen'. For the champ, it would give her the chance to further legitimize herself as one of the top stars in the UFC.