UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey looks to keep her unblemished professional mixed martial arts record (8-0) in tact when she fights Sara McMann at UFC 170 next month.
After that, Cat Zingano is waiting in the wings, but beyond “Alpha,” the women’s title picture remains up in the air.
Could Invicta women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino be the one to fill the void?
According to her co-manager George Prajin‘s recent comments to MMA Junkie, Cyborg vs. Rousey will be booked in 2014.
“[Invicta] is a relationship we want to continue for a long time, and Shannon’s been so great to us,” Prajin said. “But contractually, [Justino vs. Rousey] could happen in the fall. And to be honest, I think if the UFC offered the fight, I don’t think Shannon would stand in the way. I think she’d be very supportive, and even if she were contractually bound, I think she would allow Cris to fight Ronda in the UFC. I know that for a fact.”
Just less than a year ago, Justino asked for her release from the UFC before actually competing inside the Octagon because the two sides could not come to terms for a superfight with the “Rowdy” one, per MMA Weekly.
In the same interview with MMA Junkie on Tuesday, Prajin revealed that the UFC wanted Justino to fight at bantamweight, a weight class she has never competed at, for at least six fights and would not get a cut of the pay-per-view shares like Rousey would.
As a result, Prajin said the deal really didn’t make sense on their end, noting he would much rather see the two dominant female fighters meet at a catchweight of 140 pounds.
After returning from a suspension for testing positive for anabolic steroids, per MMA Junkie, Justino has scored back-to-back knockouts under the Invicta banner and is likely going to defend her title again in March.
Meanwhile, Rousey just defeated arch rival Miesha Tate for a second time at UFC 168, again finishing her with her signature armbar in the third round.
The bout marked the first time Rousey ever fought past the first round.
Will Rousey vs. Cyborg ever come to fruition or is the fantasy matchup just another pipe dream?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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