There’s no love lost between UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Invicta FC featherweight titleholder Cristiane Justino, but it sounds like the bad blood is boiling over with the “Rowdy” one.
At a media lunch in Los Angeles on Friday, the former Olympic bronze medalist seemed to get visibly angry when asked about a superfight with “Cyborg,” per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting.
I wanted to fight her, but the thing is, she’s the one that ran away. They announced out of competition drug testing in the UFC and within 24 hours she asked for her release. … Then she started saying that ‘Oh I won’t be able to make 135, because then it will be much harder for me to have kids.’ Then I was I like ‘you didn’t give a flying f— about how having steroids would have affected her kids, let’s put an over/under on your miscarriages now just based on that.’
Justino, a former Strikeforce champ, was technically under UFC contract in early 2013 after Strikeforce folded. The UFC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, purchased Strikeforce in March 2011.
However, after the UFC could not come to terms for a Justino vs. Rousey fight, Cyborg asked for her release from the company in 2013, which was granted, per MMA Weekly.
Justino (12-1-1), who hasn’t lost since her professional debut in May 2005, tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol after a quick TKO over Hiroko Yamanaka in December 2011.
As a result, the Brazilian slugger was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for one year and fined $2,500, and the victory over Yamanaka was changed to a no-contest, per MMA Junkie.
Justino, who has fought as heavy as 151 pounds, has never made the 135-pound bantamweight limit before but has stated she can, and will, make the cut if it means joining the UFC ranks, per MMA Mania.
Rousey (9-0) looks to continue her winning ways at UFC 175 next week when she defends her title against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Alexis Davis in the co-main event of the evening.
Is Rousey vs. Cyborg still an intriguing UFC title fight, or has the timing of this matchup come and gone?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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