UFC News: With one fight left on her contract, Cris Cyborg finally opens up about her future
What's the story?
Cris Cyborg may have lost the UFC Women's Featherweight title but the Brazilian continues to be one of the most bankable stars in MMA. She spoke to Brazil's PVT and addressed her current contract situation and what could be in store for the near future.
In case you didn't know...
Amanda Nunes shocked the world at UFC 232 when she became the first woman to defeat Cyborg in over 13 years which made her the first women's double champion in UFC history.
Nunes' stock has naturally risen to unimaginable levels since the incredible upset but Cyborg's fan base has grown in number too owing to the way she reacted after the loss.
The former Champion didn't act like a sour loser in the aftermath of the fight and took the loss in his stride as she gave Nunes the deserved credit for being the better fighter on the day. No complaints, no excuses, just a role-model champion being a consummate professional.
It's no secret that Cyborg has just one fight left on her contract and the speculation regarding her immediate future has unsurprisingly been a major talking point.
The heart of the matter
During the interview conducted by PVT, Cyborg was asked about her current status with the UFC. She said that her manager will organize a meeting with UFC officials to discuss a new deal and potentially, a rematch against Nunes.
Cyborg asserted the fact she would continue fighting irrespective of the promotion she is signed with and claimed that the UFC will stand to lose the most if they fail to renew her contract.
She was asked about a possible fight against Megan Anderson, to which Cyborg had no objection but was sceptical about the prospects of the 145 lbs women's division in the UFC.
She said, "If they decide to remove my division, and remove me from the UFC and let me go, I think the UFC would be losing with that, and the promotion that signs me would be winning. My fans follow me wherever I go. I’m very thankful because my fans are with me no matter if I win or lose.”
She added that the UFC is a great platform to build the women's Featherweight division and cited the example of Nunes, who she felt was physically better at 145 lbs. Even if the UFC removes the division altogether, Cyborg said that she would shine elsewhere like she's always done.
The Muay Thai Black Belt admitted to not following the prescribed game plan against Nunes and is aching for an opportunity to make up for her mistakes. The former Strikeforce Champion, however, said the loss lifted a big weight off her shoulders after carrying the load for being a dominant champion for 13 years.
The 33-year-old expressed her desire to be a part of the UFC 237 card which is scheduled to take place on May 11th in Brazil. The card will be headlined by the Women's Strawweight title fight between Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas. She seemed excited to fight in Curitiba, which is coincidentally the same place where she made her UFC debut in 2016 against Leslie Smith.
She said it would be a special moment for her to fight in front of her hometown fans and reiterated her yearning to fight Nunes. The Lioness, though, intends on defending her Bantamweight title before she entertains the idea of handing Cyborg another shot at reclaiming the 145 lbs strap.
What's next?
Life will resume in a normal fashion for Cyborg even if the Nunes rematch doesn't see the light of the day.
She concluded, ”I asked for the rematch, but if it doesn’t happen, my life will continue. I will continue training and wait for my next fight. I lost my first fight and asked for a rematch, 13 years have passed and I never had it, and that didn’t stop my legacy. I kept fighting.”
The much-anticipated fight could still happen considering the negotiations between all parties involved are yet to kick off. Fingers crossed!