Author: Hunter Homistek

Photo: Miesha Tate Stares Down Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino on Set of ‘Fight Valley’

Cris “Cyborg” Justino is big. 
Like, really big. 
During filming for the upcoming movie Fight Valley, Cyborg squared off with UFC women’s bantamweight Miesha Tate, dwarfing her in the process. 
The production posted the faceoff to t…

Cris “Cyborg” Justino is big. 

Like, really big. 

During filming for the upcoming movie Fight Valley, Cyborg squared off with UFC women’s bantamweight Miesha Tate, dwarfing her in the process. 

The production posted the faceoff to their Instagram page for us to enjoy. 

Tate is no small woman, either. She fights at a chiseled and fit 135 pounds, and as a professional athlete competing at the highest level, there’s no doubt she makes the average female look frail by comparison. 

Cyborg is just a step above the rest. 

Besides being two inches taller than Tate, Cyborg clearly has Tate out-muscled and out-bulked, a point made evident in the photo above. 

The story here, of course, is the fact that Tate has openly said she’d fight Cyborg at a catchweight of 140 pounds. 

Cyborg, the current Invicta FC featherweight champion, is already massive at 145 pounds, and any cut—to 140 or 135—might be too much to ask. 

Of course, it’s impossible to tell from one photo from a movie set, but if this snapshot reads true, Cyborg will clearly have a rough road ahead if she ever wants a showdown with Tate or champ Ronda Rousey inside the UFC Octagon in the bantamweight division. 

This on-set staredown isn’t the first time we’ve been reminded of Cyborg’s sheer size, either. 

She posted a photo to her personal Instagram profile earlier this year, showing just how much work she has to do just to meet the featherweight title-fight limit of 145 pounds. 

If that isn’t enough to convince you Cyborg might be a stretch to make bantamweight, UFC commentator Joe Rogan reminded us that Cyborg is a large human being this August, when he posted a photo of the Invicta FC champ posing with former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. 

In the picture, Cyborg appears to dwarf Edgar just as she did Tate, further suggesting that we might not want to hold our breath for her bantamweight debut. 

What do you think? Do these photos prove anything, or are they just bad angles? Can Cyborg make 135 with proper dieting, or is her frame just too large? 

Sound off below, and we’ll discuss. 

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UFC Champ TJ Dillashaw Calls out Dominick Cruz on Twitter, Cruz Responds

Please, oh please, let TJ Dillashaw fight Dominick Cruz soon. 
Since Dillashaw took care of former bantamweight champ Renan Barao for a second time at UFC on Fox 16 in July to defend his 135-pound title, fans and critics alike have anxiously await…

Please, oh please, let TJ Dillashaw fight Dominick Cruz soon. 

Since Dillashaw took care of former bantamweight champ Renan Barao for a second time at UFC on Fox 16 in July to defend his 135-pound title, fans and critics alike have anxiously awaited the next challenge for the Team Alpha Male product. 

By most accounts, that test should materialize in the form of one Dominick Cruz. 

The former WEC and UFC bantamweight champion has won 11 straight, most recently defeating Takeya Mizugaki via first-round knockout at UFC 178. During this stretch, he unified the WEC and UFC titles and defended his status as the top 135 pounder inside the Octagon twice before coughing up that distinction due to prolonged injuries. 

After winning his first fight in almost three years against Mizugaki, Cruz again fell victim to injury, forcing him out of the cage and into physical therapy once more. 

Despite these setbacks, Cruz remains No. 2 in the UFC’s official rankings, and he hasn’t lost since March 2007, when Urijah Faber submitted him for his first—and only—career defeat. There’s no doubt he’s still a top dog in the division, and Dillashaw knows it. 

That’s why he lobbed a missile at Cruz on Twitter, challenging the 29-year-old Alliance MMA superstar to a good ole-fashioned throwdown. 

Not one to take a blow without countering, Cruz immediately responded with some heat of his own: 

Ouch. In that tweet, Cruz refers to Dillashaw‘s knockout loss to current flyweight contender John Dodson at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale in 2011, adding a little extra vitriol to a potential matchup. 

While a matchup between Dillashaw and Cruz doesn’t need any trash talking or bad blood to pique the interest of fans, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to bring some more eyes to a matchup between two of the most well-rounded and technically sound fighters in the sport today. 

Now, we just need to hope the UFC matchmakers work some magic, rub a little healing potion on Cruz’s knees and make this fight a reality. 

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Report: UFC 190 Draws Massive PPV Numbers, Tops 900,000 Buys

Ronda Rousey sells pay-per-views, y’all. 
According to MMAFighting.com’s Dave Meltzer, Rousey’s Aug. 1 clash against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 topped 900,000 PPV buys, the most for the company since 2013. 
This continues a string of strong PPV…

Ronda Rousey sells pay-per-views, y’all. 

According to MMAFighting.com’s Dave Meltzer, Rousey‘s Aug. 1 clash against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 topped 900,000 PPV buys, the most for the company since 2013. 

This continues a string of strong PPV outings for the UFC, as the promotion has now topped 800,000 buys three times since its year began Jan. 3 with UFC 182: (Jon) Jones vs. (Daniel) Cormier. That show sold 800,000 PPVs, according to MMApayout.com, while July’s UFC 189 card featuring Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes at the top pulled 825,000 buys. 

Even better for the UFC, Dec. 12’s UFC 194 card features a long-awaited featherweight title unification bout between McGregor and champion Jose Aldo and a middleweight title fight between champion Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold. 

That show, barring injuries, will undoubtedly top the 800,000 mark as well. 

For some perspective, the best-selling PPV card of 2014 was July’s UFC 175, boasting a 185-pound title matchup between Weidman and Lyoto Machida in the main event and—guess who—Rousey vs. Alexis Davis in the co-main slot. Still, it only topped 545,000 buys.

Going back to 2013 brings us the company’s most recent 1 million-buy card. Highlighted again by Weidman in the main event and Rousey in the co-main event, UFC 168 pulled 1.025 million PPV buys. 

At that December 2013 show, Weidman took on middleweight legend and longtime UFC champ Anderson “The Spider” Silva for the second time, while Rousey faced her most notable rival, Miesha Tate, also in a rematch. 

While Rousey certainly helped UFC 168 and UFC 175, UFC 190 marks her first major triumph as a sole headliner. 

Her other UFC main events—at UFC 157 against Liz Carmouche in her promotional debut, at UFC 170 against Sara McMann and at UFC 184 against Cat Zingano—pulled 450,000, 350,000 and 600,000 buys, respectively. While that’s not bad, UFC 190’s 900,000-plus mark is a clear step above, showing Rousey‘s continually rising stock over the years. 

Even more impressive is the fact that the UFC 190 co-main event wasn’t a title fight or even a hotly anticipated matchup at all. In that fight, aging legends Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira squared off, with Rua taking home a decision victory. 

That’s not the kind of fight that inspires fans to shell out the cash for a PPV, but apparently that doesn’t matter when Rousey is at the top. 

As we move forward, it will be interesting to see if this was a fluke or the beginning of Rousey‘s run as a Brock Lesnar or Georges St-Pierre-type PPV star. 

My guess is that it’s the latter. 

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UFC Lightweights Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza Offer to Fight Anthony Pettis

Despite losing his lightweight title via a five-round thrashing at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos in March at UFC 185, Anthony Pettis hasn’t shed the bull’s eye on his back.
According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani during a recent episode of UF…

Despite losing his lightweight title via a five-round thrashing at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos in March at UFC 185, Anthony Pettis hasn’t shed the bull’s eye on his back.

According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani during a recent episode of UFC Tonight (via MMAFighting.com’s Dave Doyle), lightweight fighters Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza each offered to fight Pettis when he makes his return to the Octagon.

The former champ underwent elbow surgery in May and has been out of action since, but that hasn’t really affected his standing in the division. Alvarez and Barboza clearly know he’s still one of the best, a big name and they want to elevate their own stock with an impressive win over him.

Ranked No. 4 and No. 7 in the division, respectively, Alvarez and Barboza are realistic opponents for Pettis‘ return, too.

While Pettis is still ranked No. 1 just under Dos Anjos, No. 2 Donald Cerrone is booked to fight for the title in December at UFC on Fox 17, while No. 3 Khabib Nurmagomedov will take on Tony Ferguson at The Ultimate Fighter 22 finale on Dec. 11.

This takes us to Alvarez at No. 4.

Beyond him, No. 5 Michael Johnson will fight Nate Diaz on the same Dec. 19 Fox card as Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone, while No. 6 Benson Henderson is a welterweight and will face former title challenger Thiago Alves on Nov. 28 in South Korea.

That brings us to the other man calling out Pettis: Barboza.

Given the current state of the 155-pound division, it’s easy to see why these two fighters specifically have thrown their hat into the Pettis race.

They’re the most reasonable options for the former champ, and stylistically, any fight involving any combination of Pettis, Alvarez and Barboza would provide fireworks.

Pettis vs. Barboza would feature the two most dynamic and explosive kickers in the division going head-to-head in a likely stand-up masterclass, while Alvarez brings a gritty, well-rounded attack to the table that most recently earned him a victory over Gilbert Melendez at UFC 188.

No matter how this shakes out, if we see either of these matchups in the near future, we all win.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as the situation develops.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Conor McGregor Says He Could Beat Urijah Faber in Dublin Before Jose Aldo

Conor McGregor just wants to fight. 
Even if he has a fight scheduled for Dec. 12 at UFC 194 against longtime featherweight king Jose Aldo—which he does—McGregor would have no problem taking a fight in his home country in the meantime….

Conor McGregor just wants to fight. 

Even if he has a fight scheduled for Dec. 12 at UFC 194 against longtime featherweight king Jose Aldo—which he does—McGregor would have no problem taking a fight in his home country in the meantime. 

The Irish sensation recently told Fox Sports in a video promo for Season 22 of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter that he wanted to square off with opposing coach Urijah Faber after filming concludes. 

As it stands now, McGregor will not face Faber after the show. They’re just there to coach and trade a few verbal barbs here and there, generating interest in the show and pulling viewers to their television sets. 

McGregor, however, wishes it didn’t have to be like that. After a season of back-and-forths, he needs a payoff in the form of a fight, and he feels a matchup against Faber wouldn’t jeopardize his December date with Aldo at all. 

“Really, it would be nice to have a fight at the end of it, you know?” McGregor said. “You could easily fit a fight in on the Dublin card in the O2 (3Arena) in October. Filming wraps, I believe, at the end of September. I could go in and make light work of Urijah. I could maul him inside one, you know, and be fresh, and then we could do the Jose fight toward the end of the year, maybe Dec. 5 or Jan. 2.” 

Unfortunately for the UFC’s interim featherweight champ, it doesn’t look like he’ll get his wish, and he recognizes that. 

“But they wouldn’t have it, so we’ll just be cozy and that will be that,” he concluded. 

Despite his apparent inability to convince his bosses to let him throw down with Faber after The Ultimate Fighter, it’s interesting to hear McGregor voice his desire to fight before Dec. 12. 

A rib injury forced Aldo out of their previously scheduled matchup at UFC 189, so it’s peculiar to see McGregor try to line up a fight against a top-level opponent just months before the title unification bout at UFC 194. 

Another injury or setback to the matchup would be devastating to the promotion and to fans, so it’s probably best the UFC plays it safe and bubble-wraps McGregor until the late-year showdown with Aldo. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Conor McGregor Says He Could Beat Urijah Faber in Dublin Before Jose Aldo

Conor McGregor just wants to fight. 
Even if he has a fight scheduled for Dec. 12 at UFC 194 against longtime featherweight king Jose Aldo—which he does—McGregor would have no problem taking a fight in his home country in the meantime….

Conor McGregor just wants to fight. 

Even if he has a fight scheduled for Dec. 12 at UFC 194 against longtime featherweight king Jose Aldo—which he does—McGregor would have no problem taking a fight in his home country in the meantime. 

The Irish sensation recently told Fox Sports in a video promo for Season 22 of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter that he wanted to square off with opposing coach Urijah Faber after filming concludes. 

As it stands now, McGregor will not face Faber after the show. They’re just there to coach and trade a few verbal barbs here and there, generating interest in the show and pulling viewers to their television sets. 

McGregor, however, wishes it didn’t have to be like that. After a season of back-and-forths, he needs a payoff in the form of a fight, and he feels a matchup against Faber wouldn’t jeopardize his December date with Aldo at all. 

“Really, it would be nice to have a fight at the end of it, you know?” McGregor said. “You could easily fit a fight in on the Dublin card in the O2 (3Arena) in October. Filming wraps, I believe, at the end of September. I could go in and make light work of Urijah. I could maul him inside one, you know, and be fresh, and then we could do the Jose fight toward the end of the year, maybe Dec. 5 or Jan. 2.” 

Unfortunately for the UFC’s interim featherweight champ, it doesn’t look like he’ll get his wish, and he recognizes that. 

“But they wouldn’t have it, so we’ll just be cozy and that will be that,” he concluded. 

Despite his apparent inability to convince his bosses to let him throw down with Faber after The Ultimate Fighter, it’s interesting to hear McGregor voice his desire to fight before Dec. 12. 

A rib injury forced Aldo out of their previously scheduled matchup at UFC 189, so it’s peculiar to see McGregor try to line up a fight against a top-level opponent just months before the title unification bout at UFC 194. 

Another injury or setback to the matchup would be devastating to the promotion and to fans, so it’s probably best the UFC plays it safe and bubble-wraps McGregor until the late-year showdown with Aldo. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com