Cris Cyborg Not Surprised Fighters Are Still Ducking Her
Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino is one of the most feared women in all mixed martial arts. Her ferocious striking and indomitable will to win have seen Justino win belts for Invicta and the now defunct Strikeforce, as well as a number of grappling accolades and also crossover victories in Muay Thai. For a long time Cyborg stood on the fringe of the UFC women’s scene, looking in as Ronda Rousey dominated both the competition inside the octagon, and the headlines outside of the arena of combat.
What a difference a few months makes. Following Rousey’s shocking loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, the WMMA scene in the UFC was turned on it’s head, and before ink had hit paper for Justino’s first UFC fight, the bantamweight title would change hands again. This time it was Miesha Tate who would shock the world, choking ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ out cold at UFC 195, ousting Holm as champion in her first attempted defense of the strap.
Finally it was announced that Cris Cyborg would be joining the UFC, her Invicta 145-pound belt still intact as she plans to defend it still, and she’ll be facing Leslie Smith at this weekend’s stacked UFC 198 event. It’s perhaps not the blockbuster fight we were all wishing for in Cyborg’s debut, but according to Justino herself, that’s a case of old habits dying hard.
Speaking with FOX Sports recently, Cris Cyborg lays out he plans for a future featherweight division in the UFC, and also says there are still a number of fighters running from a fight with her.
“This always happens in my career,” Justino told FOX Sports about the fighters who refuse to face her. “I know Leslie is a real fighter and she accepted this fight. I think you have a lot of fighters now who are fighters, but they don’t like to challenge themselves. Leslie wants to challenge herself and she’s willing to go up to fight me.
“I appreciate her and it’s a great fight. You cannot choose who you fight. You just have to be ready to fight anyone….
We’ve got more on page 2, including Cyborg’s sparring session with a young fan at the UFC 198 open workouts yesterday…
continue…
As well as all the politics before her eventual UFC signing, Cris Cyborg says she’s still being ducked now, dropping Holly Holm’s name in to the mix:
“People say what they want in interviews, but when they get a contract they say other things,” Cyborg said of Holm’s decision during a media scrum. “I think it’s business. She wants to fight for the belt first. She’s coming off a loss and wants to get a win back. I guess that’s her team’s plan.” As per MMAFighting.com
As fr the future, Justino hopes a victory over Smith in Brazil will open the door to the first UFC women’s featherweight fight:
“This is my dream to open my division to compete at but 140 catch weight is OK. I think you have a lot of girls who could make 145 would fight at 145. I think you have a lot of girls who want to fight at 125 go up to 135 because that’s the division. I think there a lot of girls who would fight at 145, Holly Holm she boxed higher so she could go at 145,” Justino said.
“I think this is a big opportunity for my next fight and then maybe they can open the door to my division. I think if the UFC opened up a 145- or 155-pound division it would be great for all of us. It wouldn’t just be for me. If you look at the men, there are a lot of men’s divisions. I think there a lot of girls like me, and I have to be an example to fight in the UFC.”
“I feel very, very blessed to get the opportunity to fight in Curitiba and fight in the UFC,” Justino said. “I’m really happy and of course there is a lot of pressure. I appreciate everybody who wanted to see me fight because it’s an honor to be fighting in Brazil. I’m very happy for this opportunity and I will do my best.”
“Of course but it doesn’t depend on me. I have to step into the cage now, make 140 and make a great fight for them,” Justino said. “I think if the fans and the UFC are happy, it will open the door for more fights at 140.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFRvvJkQnsm/
