Former UFC featherweight champ and current Bellator champ Cris Cyborg is happy to be with Bellator after seeing the UFC’s recent earnings report.
Cyborg is just days removed from her dominant win over Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271, in the latest defense of her featherweight title. Before signing with Bellator, she had an up-and-down tenure with the UFC which included a strained relationship with UFC president Dana White.
MMA Fighting was the first to report the most profitable year for the UFC in the promotion’s history earlier on Tuesday, and Cyborg spoke up on the news and took the time to rip her former promotion for appearing to be cheap.
“U Fight Cheap,” Cyborg tweeted. “More and more big names going to leave and be replaced with contender series contracts.”
Cris Cyborg and the UFC have had a complicated relationship
Cyborg’s UFC tenure was filled with contract disputes and PED suspensions during her time with the promotion. She also earned the UFC’s inaugural women’s featherweight title over Tonya Evinger at UFC 214.
White infamously insulted Cyborg just weeks after the 2014 MMA Awards, calling her “Wanderlei Silva in a dress and heels”. This was before White and the UFC ultimately decided to bring the then-Invicta FC champion to their roster.
After eventually losing her UFC title to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232, she would defeat Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 before signing as a free agent with Bellator. On her way out, White said the UFC “is no longer in the Cris Cyborg business.”
Cyborg has gone to earn the Bellator featherweight title beginning with her knock out of Julia Budd at Bellator 238. She has defended her title against Kavanagh, Leslie Smith, and Arlene Blencowe since that time. Cyborg is arguably one of the most dominant athletes in MMA history regardless of gender.
What are your thoughts on Cris Cyborg and the UFC’s continued toxic relationship?