Filed under: Strikeforce
Returning to the cage after a year and a half away, Cris Cyborg absolutely destroyed Hiroko Yamanaka on Saturday night, needing just 16 seconds to win by technical knockout.
Cyborg exploded out of the gate and connected two quick hard right hands to knock Yamanaka down. Yamanaka got up but Cyborg exploded on her again, knocking her down against the cage. Cyborg began to pounce on the ground, but before she could do anything there the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
“I’m very happy,” Cyborg said afterward. “I trained hard for a year and a half. This is amazing. I love fighting, I love training, I want to fight more.”
The win improves Cyborg’s professional MMA record to 11-1 and shows once again that she’s simply the toughest woman in the world. She’s Strikeforce‘s women’s featherweight champion, and the only question about her is whether Strikeforce will be able to find any opponents who can test her. After the fight Cyborg was asked about potentially fighting Ronda Rousey, which could be an option, although Rousey probably isn’t ready for Cyborg.
Yamanaka came into the fight with a 12-1 record and a reputation as one of the best female fighters on the planet, but she’s no Cyborg. There’s no one like Cyborg.