If Ronda Rousey is the fastest rising star in mixed martial arts, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos must be the complete opposite.
Just last year, Cyborg was riding an 11-fight win streak, having successfully defended the Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Championship in brutal fashion for a third time.
Now, the former pound-for-pound top female fighter in the world has largely been cast out of the spotlight, stripped of her title and waiting out a one-year suspension due to a positive steroids test.
In fact, Cyborg’s steroid scandal likely rates as one of the most damaging amongst most fighters, as it calls into question almost every MMA and grappling victory that the former champion has earned in her career.
Although many people joked about her impressive physique, there’s always been the undertone that Cyborg’s speed and power was a little unnatural for a female fighter, suggesting it might be more challenging for her to fight someone like UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
Fast-forward one positive test for stanzolol, and it’s suddenly not quite so funny—we’ve spent almost an entire year looking at a devastated women’s featherweight division that’s been missing a dominant champion since last January.
Now, Cyborg has come out of the woodwork, stating that since she can’t make the 135-pound limit for the bantamweight division, she wants to fight Ronda Rousey at a 140- or 145-pound catch-weight.
Although the fight would likely attract quite a few viewers, Strikeforce shouldn’t even entertain that idea. Not for a single second.
As much as Cyborg wants to claim that Rousey “ran” to the bantamweight division to avoid fighting her, the reality is that 135 pounds is where the most interesting match-ups can happen right now, especially with Strikeforce superstar Gina Carano permanently retired (again, no thanks to Miss Santos).
Not many big-name women’s fights can be made at 145 pounds anyway, a key reason why a new champion hasn’t been crowned at that weight.
Moreover, Ronda Rousey shouldn’t have to tip the scales to fight Cyborg. For one thing, she just got to the bantamweight division and can potentially make a long run as champion there, provided she defeats Sarah Kaufman this weekend.
Just what would happen if Cyborg got her way, was allowed to pack on some critical mass, and brutalized the bantamweight champion in a one-sided match? Not only would it destroy a good chunk of the long road for female fighters’ paths to the UFC, but Rousey’s stock would sharply nosedive.
Given Cyborg’s history, would it be sensical or sportsmanlike to give her any possible advantage over the relatively green Rousey, and put Strikeforce’s biggest star at a potentially unfair risk?
Aside from Rousey being a clean fighter and athlete, the burden should be on Cyborg to make up the difference in weight, especially given her questionable history of dominance.
Could a title match at 145 pounds be a possibility? Probably, although Rousey frankly looks fantastic at bantamweight, a division that’s still filled with solid challenges and interesting match-ups.
If Miss Santos wants a dance date with Rousey, she needs to drop some of her advantageous muscle, spend more time on the treadmill, and make the 135-pound limit. If she can’t do that much without the aid of a performance-enhancing drug, then she has no right to challenge the champion.
[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist who has worked for EGM, GamePro, 1UP, Macworld, & PC World. Follow his Twitter account for crazy talk, 1990s movie references, and general weirdness. Or, you could just stalk him on Google.]
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