(Cris Cyborg: The Madonna of MMA. / Photo via Strikeforce)
With women’s 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey and former 145-pound champ Cris Cyborg still split on which weight they would meet at for their fantasyland matchup, Cyborg has pulled the old “doctor’s note” move. Members of the Cyborg camp told MMAWeekly yesterday that the dynamic Brazilian striker — who is still serving out her one-year steroid suspension — met with her doctors recently, and was informed that a cut to 135 pounds wouldn’t be safe:
Her cardiologist stated emphatically that he would not sign off on a move down a weight class based on her current health. The dangers to her body could also prohibit Santos from carrying a child later in life, and according to her camp, that was a risk the former Strikeforce champion was unwilling to make for any fight. Santos’ walking around weight currently hovers around 160lbs and the 25lb cut would just be too much for her body according to her doctors.
I mean…Cyborg looks like she could probably cut 10 pounds in excess back-muscle alone, but hey, I’m no doctor — I’m only a humble Female Body Inspector. In response, Rousey’s manager Darin Harvey pointed out the obvious:
“If you ask five doctors, you’ll get five different opinions. I guarantee you, you can find doctors that’ll say the weight cut will be fine…. It all depends on what side they’re working for. It’s her doctor. If you’re going to trial, I can find a professional witness to make you look innocent or make you look guilty…. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt long-term … but my personal belief is she can lose the weight. She would just prefer an advantage to fight at 145 pounds. And I think we have the advantage at 135…
“We want that fight because it’s a big money fight. We want to fight Cyborg and I think Ronda can beat her at any weight. But I believe if she’s not taking drugs, 135 pounds will be absolutely no problem…. At the end of the day, it’s up to Ronda. I would advise against it because I would like to do everything to get Cyborg down to 135 pounds, but I know it’s the fight the world wants to see. I think it’s a million-plus Pay-Per-View fight, so we have to take those things into consideration.”
Well, “a million-plus“ buys may be a cute little exaggeration, but Harvey makes a valid point, and Cyborg doesn’t have a leg to stand on in this argument. Between the two fighters, Ronda is the only one with a title belt, and Ronda is the only one that Dana White is seemingly interested in doing business with. Meanwhile, Cyborg is a disgraced steroid cheat who will need to accept the fight on Ronda’s terms for the right to redeem herself.
So do the right thing, Cris: Hire Mike Dolce, alter your workouts a bit to shed some muscle, and do whatever it takes to set up the UFC’s first women’s title fight, at a weight where a belt already exists. It might suck, but it’s what you need to do to stay relevant. You’re in Rondaland, now.