Esther Lin/MMA Fighting
Relations between Cyborg and White seem at an all time low coming into her co-main event fight at UFC 240 against Felicia Spencer.
Cris Cyborg fights on Saturday night at UFC 240 in Edmonton, Canada and the UFC has picked a rather unique method of promoting her co-main fight against Felicia Spencer. UFC president Dana White has spent the past two months telling anyone who asks or will listen that Cyborg is afraid of accepting a rematch against Amanda Nunes.
Nunes handed Cyborg a quick KO loss during their December 2018 bout at UFC 232, and ever since then Cris has been campaigning for a rematch. But according to White, you’d have to be crazy to believe that. Something else is going on behind the scenes, and it all adds up to Cyborg being scurred.
“You think I’m surprised when Dana says type of things like this? I’m not,” Cyborg told TMZ Sports. “I’m gonna be surprised if Dana White says something nice for me. You know, It’s not new for me. And just challenge, I go over there and do my best. Dana White’s never stepped in the cage. He never fight before, he doesn’t know the fighter life because he’s the promoter.”
But when asked point blank if she was afraid to rematch Nunes, Cyborg dodged the question!!! Checkmate, White doubters.
“I fight Saturday and after Saturday, for sure I’m going to ask any question the media has for me,” she said. “I think I have to it a step at a time, focus now on Saturday, my next fight, and my fans know who I am. My fans know if I’m scared. I’m going to get out of this fight [at UFC 240] and then talk to media.”
For now it’s just worth mentioning that this fight at UFC 240 also happens to be the last on Cris Cyborg’s UFC contract. After being with the promotion since 2015, she’s now expressed her intent to go into free agency before signing another deal. So that right there gives you a pretty good idea what’s going on and why White seems so determined to slag one of his biggest stars. Not that the relationship was much better when she did have fights left on her contract or anything.