Dana White: Rousey vs. ‘Cyborg’ Would Do Two-And-A-Half Million Buys
It may have already been confirmed that No. 1-ranked Miesha Tate would get the next title shot at undefeated champion Ronda Rousey, yet the specter of a long-proposed grudge match with Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino still looms large for ‘Rowdy’ in the aftermath of her impressive 34-second knockout of Bethe Correia in the main event of last night’s (Sat., August 1, 2015) UFC 190 pay-per-view (PPV) from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (watch full highlights here).
There’s obviously no question that many feel Justino is the only woman with a legitimate shot at beating Rousey. But the issue has always been and will continue to be ‘Cyborg’s’ ability to make the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds. The Invicta FC featherweight champ, who was supposedly in attendance at UFC 190 in her native Brazil, has repeatedly lobbied for a catchweight limit of 140 pounds, but speaking to UFC on FOX’s Ariel Helwani after the fights, UFC president Dana White wasn’t budging on the stipulation for the bout:
“She didn’t make the weight yet. The day she makes the weight and does what she’s supposed to do, that fight’s on. She wants that fight; everybody wants that fight. You think I don’t want that fight to happen? That fight; now I’m changing my mind on that fight. I think that fight does two-and-a-half million buys. I think that fight is massive.”
White continued on, confirming that ‘Cyborg’ would not only have to make the weight, she would also have to fight in order to finally meet Rousey in the UFC:
“She has to make the weight. She has to make the weight, she has to fight, and she has to be healthy. She came out and, her team that she built around her said some crazy things and she needs to go out and she needs to make the weight and compete at that weight and she can come right here and fight Ronda.”
No matter whom her opponent may be, Rousey said that she would like to fight next on the anticipated Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor card, something that White obviously expressed interest in at the UFC 190 post-fight press conference:
“I would absolutely consider that.”
If that blockbuster main event is to somehow be paired with Rousey vs. ‘Cyborg,’ it’s clear that ‘Rowdy’ isn’t interested in any nonsense from Justino. Due to her previous failed drug test for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), Rousey said that ‘Cyborg’ could easily make her weight without steroids:
“I fight in the bantamweight division. If she can make 145 pumped full of steroids, she can make 135 without ‘em.”
