"That was mental" - Chael Sonnen says Amanda Nunes disproved the rule boxing aficionado Max Kellerman taught him, following her win over Julianna Pena

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen believes Amanda Nunes disproved a long-held boxing theory in her stunning performance at UFC 277.

All the pressure was on 'The Lioness' as she made the walk to the UFC octagon this weekend. Julianna Pena stunned the world last December when she caused one of the sport's major upsets by making the Brazilian tap. However, the Nunes who entered the cage this time was an entirely different animal.

The bout went the full 25 minutes with the Brazilian winning every single round on each of the judges' scorecards. The 34-year-old put on a clinic during the stand-up exchanges before using her wrestling and takedowns to score more points in the later rounds.

Chael Sonnen believes Nunes' performance disproved a theory taught to him by boxing commentator Max Kellerman. Kellerman reportedly told 'The American Gangster' that if a younger fighter beats an older fighter, they usually win the rematch too. Sonnen said:

"There's a rule in fighting. Max Kellerman taught me this. Many many years ago... Max simply told me, 'If a younger fighter stops an older fighter and they rematch, the younger fighter will stop them again, only quicker.'... I am not aware of a time where that expression did not ring true until tonight. I say that to add to the praise of Amanda [Nunes]. This was mental."

Nunes reclaimed the women's bantamweight belt with the win and became a double champion in the UFC for the second time.

Catch Chael Sonnen speak about Amanda Nunes here:

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Amanda Nunes joins elite club after stunning performance at UFC 277

Not only was it a night to celebrate for Amanda Nunes and her family after she reclaimed the bantamweight title, but the Brazilian also joined a special UFC club that features Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The lopsided decision win for Nunes saw one judge scoring the fight 50-43 in her favor. Consequently, 'The Lioness' became only the third fighter to have achieved a 50-43 score in a championship bout, after St-Pierre and Nurmagomedov.

'GSP' was the first to achieve the feat back in 2008 when he dominated Jon Fitch. The second was 'The Eagle' against Al laquinta 10 years later.

Not only did Amanda Nunes join the elite club, she also broke another women's MMA record. The 34-year-old is now the first woman to score three knockdowns in a single UFC bout.