After finally signing a new contract following over a year on the sidelines, Strikeforce featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos has her next fight.
The widely considered No. 1 female fighter in mixed martial arts will take on HIroko Yamanaka on Dec. 17, the promotion confirmed.
Santos hasn’t been seen inside the cage since June 2010, when she scored a second-round knockout of Jan Finney to defend her belt for the second straight time. That, however, was the final fight on her contract, and the two sides struggled to reach a new deal until finally successfully closing out negotiations.
Santos is 10-1 overall and has smashed through each of her last four opponents by KO or TKO.
Yamanaka is a 32-year-old Japanese fighter who is 12-1 and currently riding an eight-fight win streak. The fight will mark her debut in a major U.S. promotion as she’s spent her entire career fighting in her home country.
A location has yet to be officially announced for the December 17 show, but the event is also likely to include Gilbert Melendez attempting to defend his lightweight title against Jorge Masvidal.