Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino gets closer to the UFC every day, it seems.
Earlier today, the UFC announced during a conference call that its online subscription service, UFC Fight Pass, would host Invicta FC 8 on September 6.
Following that announcement, Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp opened the floor to the media for questions, and Cyborg’s name popped up immediately. Will she still fight for Invicta? At what weight class?
Members of the media had questions, and Knapp had answers.
“We’re in communication with her [Cyborg], I am very often, at least daily,” Knapp said during the call. “We’ll have some announcements to make about that in the near future, but, yeah. Cris is definitely, Invicta is her home, and you will definitely see her on this platform for sure.”
Cyborg fighting on UFC Fight Pass under the Invicta FC banner is a step in the right direction for those hoping to see the Brazilian standout inside the UFC Octagon in the near future.
Knapp didn’t stop there, though. She also addressed what has been one of the biggest hang-ups to Cyborg’s addition to the UFC’s roster: the fighter’s weight.
Cyborg has fought her career at featherweight (145 lbs), and she’s even been too heavy for that class on occasion. The UFC currently employs female fighters in two weight classes: bantamweight (135 lbs) and strawweight (115 lbs).
So, to fight for the UFC, Cyborg needs to lose weight, and she needs to safely cut to bantamweight. According to Knapp, this process is underway.
“That’s an announcement [the weight class of Cyborg’s next fight] that will be coming soon, but you know, I don’t want to speak for her at this point, but we are definitely in the process of seeing how she’s doing with the weight cut and management to get down to that weight [135 pounds],” Knapp said.
For those hoping to see Cyborg fight in the UFC—and potentially face champion Ronda Rousey—this is excellent news, as it seems the 12-1 (1 NC) Brazilian muay thai artist is making a serious run at bantamweight.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as Cyborg’s situation continues to develop.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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