Daniel Cormier feels Amanda Nunes should have 'gone out on her shield more' in her fight against Julianna Pena
Amanda Nunes has been hailed as one of the greatest female fighters in the world for quite some time now. However, Daniel Cormier feels that Nunes' legacy may be in jeopardy because of the manner in which she tapped out against Julianna Pena.
A legion of MMA fans and pundits, including Chael Sonnen, believe that Amanda Nunes lost a mental battle against Julianna Pena rather than a physical one.
Daniel Cormier gave his take on Amanda Nunes' recent loss while in conversation with Ryan Clark on the DC & RC show. He opined that the former champion should have committed to 'going out on her shield' in the UFC 269 co-main event. He said:
"We speak about her in such legendary terms. To tap like that after being in that choke, it almost feels like she should've just went to sleep. If you're going to lose your place amongst the greats, even if it's temporary, she can go back and beat Julianna. It felt like should go out on her shield more."
Watch Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark discuss Julianna Pena's win over Amanda Nunes below:
Daniel Cormier believes Julianna Pena stunned Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes suffered her first loss in seven years when she lost to Julianna Pena in the co-main event of UFC 269. The defeat marked her first setback since her fight against Cat Zingano at UFC 178 back in 2014.
Daniel Cormier sat alongside Joe Rogan and Jon Anik in the commentary booth at UFC 269. Cormier recalls the change of expression on Amanda Nunes' face during the second round, moments before Pena submitted her.
He said:
"Dude, her facial expression changed right in the middle of that second round like, 'Oh my goodness.' It was like she saw a ghost!"
JULIANNA PENA JUST SHOCKED THE WORLD!!!
SHE JUST SUBMITTED AMANDA NUNES!!!
AND NEWWWWWWWWW!!!
#UFC269 https://t.co/ITDFIq81ij
Both Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena are open to running it back in a potential rematch. Pena acknowledges that Nunes' legacy warrants an immediate rematch and 'The Lioness' appears to have accepted the challenge.