Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos returns to the cage after a nearly 16-month layoff to face Fiona Muxlow at Invicta Fighting Championships 5 this evening.
Prior to the bout, the former Strikeforce featherweight champ said she still has her eyes set on a superfight with UFC bantamweight title holder Ronda Rousey.
The Brazilian powerhouse believes that Rousey and UFC President Dana White are the ones to blame for the enticing match up not happening yet (via MMA Fighting). “Ask Dana White if he wants to make the fight,” Santos said. “Ask Ronda if she wants the fight. I will fight her. I’m not afraid of anyone. You have to ask them why they don’t want to make the fight.”
Santos was under a contract with Zuffa LLC from her Strikeforce days and looked to finalize a deal with the UFC that eventually culminated with a 140-pound catchweight bout with Rousey.
However, when the terms of the deal could not be agreed upon, Cyborg asked for her release and signed with Invicta FC.
Santos has been on the shelf ever since she failed a post-fight drug test in Dec. 2011 where she tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
As a result, the California State Athletic Commission suspended Santos for one year and fined her $2,500.
Heading into Friday night’s bout with Muxlow, Santos is 10-1(1) in her professional MMA career, with her only loss coming in her pro debut in May 2005.
On the other hand, Muxlow enters the contest with a record of 6-2, most recently suffering a submission loss to Marloes Coenen in December.
The bout was contested under the Dream banner and the loss broke a three-fight win streak for Muxlow.
Will the long-talked-about fight between Rousey and Santos ever come to fruition or is the matchup no more likely than Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva at this point?
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