Cris Cyborg to return at UFC 300 against Amanda Nunes? Exploring the chances of mega-fight finally happening
UFC 300 is in need of saving. It remains bereft of a main event, and all indicators seem to imply that the promotion is short of options. If UFC CEO Dana White is to be believed, Conor McGregor is still struggling with his injury recovery and can't be bothered to make the walk to the octagon due to his outrageous wealth.
Meanwhile, a UFC 300 headliner featuring Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis is also in doubt, given how much damage the South African absorbed at UFC 297. Alternative matchups involving Khamzat Chimaev are hampered by the Chechen's refusal to fight with Ramadan fast approaching. So what of Cris Cyborg?
Specifically, what of a rematch with Amanda Nunes? It wouldn't be the pay-per-view saving headliner that UFC 300 needs, but it would go a long way to strengthening it, especially if another fun matchup, possibly involving Tom Aspinall, were added. So, could Cyborg actually return to avenge her loss to Nunes?
Amanda Nunes' recent comments about a UFC return
Women's MMA GOAT and former simultaneous UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes sat cage-side at UFC 297, where she watched Raquel Pennington—someone she once beat into submission—outwork Mayra Bueno Silva to claim the women's bantamweight throne she had left vacant with her retirement.
After the card, 'The Lioness' was interviewed backstage by Megan Olivi, to whom she disclosed her openness to a potential comeback. She revealed herself to be in good physical health and claimed to still feel powerful and think like a champion. But who at 135 pounds is left for Nunes to conquer for a UFC 300 spot?
Who could even compel her to return? Kayla Harrison is unproven at bantamweight, and everyone else has already been dominated by 'The Lioness' and has done little else to impress since. No one else matches her legacy except Cris Cyborg, who has been campaigning for a rematch since Dec. 29, 2018.
Since then, Cyborg has captured and defended Bellator women's featherweight gold, becoming the only Grand Slam champion in MMA for having held titles in four major promotions. If not Nunes, she is often hailed as the women's MMA GOAT, and Cyborg has her own built-in excuse for her prior loss.
She claims to have fought recklessly at UFC 232, and that had she stuck to her gameplan, she would have won. Despite her loss, it remains one of the few compelling bouts in the UFC's women's divisions. After all, Cyborg has gone on to win seven consecutive fights since being beaten by Nunes, finishing most of them.
Cyborg even called for a UFC 300 rematch with Nunes, appealing to UFC CEO Dana White on X/Twitter for a chance to compete. Whether this is on the table remains to be seen, especially given Nunes' recent openness to fighting again. But, one barrier remains to a UFC 300 return for Cyborg.
Dana White vs. Cris Cyborg precedes any UFC 300 fight with Amanda Nunes
While an Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg bout would almost certainly enhance the prestige of UFC 300, it is a fight that won't be easy to book. That is largely due to Dana White's complicated relationship with the reigning Bellator women's featherweight champion.
The pair do not get along. Truth be told, they never have. The UFC CEO was a staunch supporter of Ronda Rousey during the Hall of Famer's deeply personal feud with Cyborg, even once mocking the Brazilian's physical appearance by comparing her to her fellow countryman, Wanderlei Silva.
"When I saw her at the MMA words, she looked like Wanderlei Silva in a dress and heels. And she did. Did she not? Who wants to dispute that she didn't look like Wanderlei? She got up and she's walking up the stairs, jacked up on steroids beyond belief and looked like Wanderlei Silva in a dress and heels."
Check out Dana White attacking Cris Cyborg's physical appearance:
When Cyborg finally signed for the UFC in 2015, fans were hopeful that her relationship with White had smoothed over. For some time, the two seemed to have found a working dynamic. But their relationship had fractured badly toward the end of her UFC tenure.
After losing to Nunes at UFC 232, Cyborg campaigned heavily for a rematch, but White painted a narrative of avoidance, claiming that she did not want to fight 'The Lioness.' To seasoned observers, it seemed like a contract negotiation playing out in the public eye.
Unfortunately, Cyborg made the decision to upload a doctored video purporting to show her locked in a backstage conversation with White, whose unintelligible words were falsely captioned as him apologizing for lying for the sake of fight promotion. Her attempt to make him look bad backfired tremendously.
Check out Cris Cyborg's doctored clip of her confrontation with Dana White:
Not only did White label it one of the most morally bankrupt things he had ever been subjected to, for which Cyborg actually apologized, but he opted against negotiating a new contract with her. In fact, the UFC even waived its exclusive three-month negotiating period after her contract expired.
They were, as White put it, out of the Cyborg business. So would White, who is known to hold on to grudges, pay Cyborg the favor of a UFC 300 fight? Would he truly sign her to a one-fight contract so that she can avenge a humiliating loss on the promotion's marquee card of the year?
More than that, why would he grant her, the champion of a rival organization, the chance to redeem herself against Nunes, whose GOAT status in women's MMA was solidified in the UFC by beating Cyborg herself? It would only serve to make Cyborg—and Bellator—look strong were she to win.
As compelling as the idea of a UFC 300 rematch is, it is highly unlikely that White would afford Cyborg the chance to beat Nunes and waltz back into Bellator with a win over a UFC legend.
Doing so would give Bellator a more definitive claim to being the home of the WMMA GOAT and spark claims that they have a superior roster.