Daniel Cormier explains why he’s against the UFC booking an immediate trilogy fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena

Daniel Cormier is explaining why he’s against the UFC booking an immediate trilogy fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña.

Peña (12-5 MMA) dethroned bantamweight champion Nunes (22-5 MMA) at UFC 269 in December of 2021, in what is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.

Following the loss, the two met again in Dallas, Texas, at UFC 277 this past July and this time it was Nunes who avenged her loss by unanimous decision and regained the title.

It took no time for Peña to call out Nunes for a trilogy fight, but Daniel Cormier is saying, not so fast.

Speaking on his ‘DC & RC’ ESPN broadcast, Cormier had this advice about a trilogy fight between Nunes and Peña (h/t MMAJunkie):

“The work hasn’t warranted an immediate rematch. Because if not, then every champion that loses gets an immediate rematch. It’s not like that. It just doesn’t work that way. Amanda got an immediate rematch, because she’s Amanda Nunes. Jose Aldo didn’t get an immediate rematch (against Conor McGregor), and he was the longest-reigning featherweight champion of all time.”

Continuing the UFC commentator said:

“Sometimes you’ve got to move on to get back. I think Julianna’s in that position. I don’t know if the work that she’s put on paper warrants (it). Just because she survived in the last match, I think she might have lost every single round of that fight.”

Julianna Pena Amanda Nunes — (via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Concluding Daniel Cormier said:

“Who’s to say that if she (Nunes) fights Ketlen Vieira, who has put together a nice win streak, has beaten two former champions, how do we know that that doesn’t play out in that way? We had no idea that the gal (Talia Santos) was gonna fight Valentina Shevchenko in the way that she did. We didn’t. So it’s like, you’ve got to give it to the next (person). I just don’t think the work that she’s put on paper warrants an immediate rematch.”

For now, neither Nunes or Peña have an upcoming fight in the works.

Would you like to see a trilogy fight between the two bantamweights? Who do you think would emerge as the champion?

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