Cris Cyborg not interested in interim title if Germaine de Randamie not ready for UFC 214

Cris Cyborg is eyeing a fight with Germaine de Randamie at UFC 214 in July, but if the UFC champion will still be recovering from her hand injury, Cyborg is not interested in taking an interim title fight.

Cris Cyborg is eager to get back inside the cage, but would understand if UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie isn’t ready to defend her title at UFC 214 from her own experiences.

Cyborg hasn’t fought since September, but was offered a January fight for the inaugural belt. The former Invicta FC champ was forced to turn it down, because she would not have been ready for the early 2017 date.

De Randamie was eventually slated to face former bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm, and won the title at UFC 208 in February with a decision victory. But she has been sidelined ever since with a hand injury.

With the de Randamie fight still not booked, Cyborg, who recently vacated her Invicta FC title, is questioning whether it really will happen at UFC 214, the event she has been targeting the title fight and her return for.

“When the UFC asked me last January to fight her for the belt, I explained to them I would, but needed a March date because my body was still recovering from two weight cuts to 140 pounds. So I know what it is like to want to accept the fight but needing additional time to heal,” Cyborg told BJPenn.com. “After recently vacating my Invicta 145-pound belt, I also know what it is like to have a world championship that you want to defend and not being given the opportunity to do so.

“If [De Randamie] is not healthy enough to defend her belt, she should be given time to heal completely and fight me after that has happened.”

If the women’s featherweight titleholder indeed won’t be ready for the July pay-per-view, Cyborg does not want to fight for the interim championship.

“I don’t want an interim belt. … Belts are for the promoter,” Cyborg said. “There are men fighters who haven’t defended their belt for much longer without having an interim title made in their division, and the women athletes should be given the same luxury.”

Cris Cyborg is eyeing a fight with Germaine de Randamie at UFC 214 in July, but if the UFC champion will still be recovering from her hand injury, Cyborg is not interested in taking an interim title fight.

Cris Cyborg is eager to get back inside the cage, but would understand if UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie isn’t ready to defend her title at UFC 214 from her own experiences.

Cyborg hasn’t fought since September, but was offered a January fight for the inaugural belt. The former Invicta FC champ was forced to turn it down, because she would not have been ready for the early 2017 date.

De Randamie was eventually slated to face former bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm, and won the title at UFC 208 in February with a decision victory. But she has been sidelined ever since with a hand injury.

With the de Randamie fight still not booked, Cyborg, who recently vacated her Invicta FC title, is questioning whether it really will happen at UFC 214, the event she has been targeting the title fight and her return for.

“When the UFC asked me last January to fight her for the belt, I explained to them I would, but needed a March date because my body was still recovering from two weight cuts to 140 pounds. So I know what it is like to want to accept the fight but needing additional time to heal,” Cyborg told BJPenn.com. “After recently vacating my Invicta 145-pound belt, I also know what it is like to have a world championship that you want to defend and not being given the opportunity to do so.

“If [De Randamie] is not healthy enough to defend her belt, she should be given time to heal completely and fight me after that has happened.”

If the women’s featherweight titleholder indeed won’t be ready for the July pay-per-view, Cyborg does not want to fight for the interim championship.

“I don’t want an interim belt. … Belts are for the promoter,” Cyborg said. “There are men fighters who haven’t defended their belt for much longer without having an interim title made in their division, and the women athletes should be given the same luxury.”