Tito Ortiz: Cris Cyborg ‘doing everything possible’ to make 135 pounds for Ronda Rousey fight

If a megafight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg doesn’t happen, it won’t be Cyborg’s fault, according to Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz, a Cyborg advisor and her former manager, said she is doing all she can to make 135 pounds for a UFC women’s bantamweight title fight with Rousey, even if that is not the healthiest weight for her.

“Cris is jumping through every single flamed hoop that everybody is asking her to do,” Ortiz said last week at a Bellator media day. “And she’s trying to get down to 135. Realistically, 140 is still a challenge for her to get down that low. She’s gonna try. She’s doing everything possible and it seems like Ronda is doing zero possible. She’s just sitting back and collecting her checks.”

Rousey defended her title by knocking out Bethe Correia in just 34 seconds in the main event of UFC 190 on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro. There’s a good chance her next fight will be a third bout with Miesha Tate late this year or early next. Very few, if any, women’s 135-pounders in the UFC have established themselves as contenders after Tate. And there are many people who don’t even want to see Rousey-Tate again since Rousey has finished her twice.

Meanwhile, Cyborg is crushing opponents as the Invicta FC women’s featherweight champion. She knocked out a totally overmatched Faith Van Duin in just 45 seconds earlier this month. Rousey has won her last two fights in a combined 30 seconds. There’s no doubt Rousey and Cyborg are the two best women’s fighters in the world — by a wide margin.

Good fight for Honda.My next fight is140lbs,then I hope we get a chance to give fans the WMMA fight the most violent fight in the history!

— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) August 2, 2015

Ortiz acknowledges that a Rousey fight would be the biggest one for Cyborg. But he cannot understand why Rousey and the UFC refuse to meet Cyborg in the middle at 140 pounds.

“There’s a different level between Ronda, Cris and all the competition in both of their weights,” said Ortiz, who challenges Liam McGeary for the Bellator light heavyweight title at Bellator: Dynamite on Sept. 19 in San Jose. “Ronda smashes everybody in her weight class. Cris smashes everybody in her weight class. So why not have the two girls that smash everybody in their weight class meet at a catchweight of 140 and compete?”

Rousey continues to maintain that Cyborg should be able to make 135 without using performance-enhancing drugs. Cyborg tested positive for steroids in 2011 and was stripped of her Strikeforce title. Cyborg, whose real name is Cristiane Justino, has not failed a test since, though.

Ortiz is not buying Rousey’s explanation. He thinks the UFC champ talks a big game, but isn’t backing it up by agreeing to a catchweight.

“Why is she running away from Cris?” Ortiz said. “She says I’ll fight any man, ‘I’ll fight Mayweather, I’ll fight Chris Weidman,’ but she’s afraid to fight Cris Cyborg. It sounds like excuses. Usually when someone is intimidated by someone and doesn’t want to fight them, they’ll find any excuse not to.”

If a megafight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg doesn’t happen, it won’t be Cyborg’s fault, according to Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz, a Cyborg advisor and her former manager, said she is doing all she can to make 135 pounds for a UFC women’s bantamweight title fight with Rousey, even if that is not the healthiest weight for her.

“Cris is jumping through every single flamed hoop that everybody is asking her to do,” Ortiz said last week at a Bellator media day. “And she’s trying to get down to 135. Realistically, 140 is still a challenge for her to get down that low. She’s gonna try. She’s doing everything possible and it seems like Ronda is doing zero possible. She’s just sitting back and collecting her checks.”

Rousey defended her title by knocking out Bethe Correia in just 34 seconds in the main event of UFC 190 on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro. There’s a good chance her next fight will be a third bout with Miesha Tate late this year or early next. Very few, if any, women’s 135-pounders in the UFC have established themselves as contenders after Tate. And there are many people who don’t even want to see Rousey-Tate again since Rousey has finished her twice.

Meanwhile, Cyborg is crushing opponents as the Invicta FC women’s featherweight champion. She knocked out a totally overmatched Faith Van Duin in just 45 seconds earlier this month. Rousey has won her last two fights in a combined 30 seconds. There’s no doubt Rousey and Cyborg are the two best women’s fighters in the world — by a wide margin.

Ortiz acknowledges that a Rousey fight would be the biggest one for Cyborg. But he cannot understand why Rousey and the UFC refuse to meet Cyborg in the middle at 140 pounds.

“There’s a different level between Ronda, Cris and all the competition in both of their weights,” said Ortiz, who challenges Liam McGeary for the Bellator light heavyweight title at Bellator: Dynamite on Sept. 19 in San Jose. “Ronda smashes everybody in her weight class. Cris smashes everybody in her weight class. So why not have the two girls that smash everybody in their weight class meet at a catchweight of 140 and compete?”

Rousey continues to maintain that Cyborg should be able to make 135 without using performance-enhancing drugs. Cyborg tested positive for steroids in 2011 and was stripped of her Strikeforce title. Cyborg, whose real name is Cristiane Justino, has not failed a test since, though.

Ortiz is not buying Rousey’s explanation. He thinks the UFC champ talks a big game, but isn’t backing it up by agreeing to a catchweight.

“Why is she running away from Cris?” Ortiz said. “She says I’ll fight any man, ‘I’ll fight Mayweather, I’ll fight Chris Weidman,’ but she’s afraid to fight Cris Cyborg. It sounds like excuses. Usually when someone is intimidated by someone and doesn’t want to fight them, they’ll find any excuse not to.”