Women’s MMA standout Cris “Cyborg” Justino recently partook in an AMA (ask me anything) session with the MMA Underground (mixedmartialarts.com), where she talked fight politics, her old-school roots and, of course, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
I perused her responses, and from the looks of things, Cyborg isn’t too crazy about the current political landscape of the fight game, and she feels that a bout with Rousey is inevitable.
Here are some highlights (questions/responses edited for readability).
Question: Do you dislike Ronda on a personal level for all the trash talk about you or do you see it as hype in case of a future fight?
Cyborg: I don’t have anything personal against her…I am from a different time. Remember when Wanderlei Silva fought Mark Hunt in PRIDE? What weight was that fight? That is Chute Boxe. That is fighting because you love it. If she really wanted this fight it would have happened already…The fight will happen or the fans of MMA will robbed of history.
Question: Time has gone by a lot since the first time you and Ronda wanted to fight. Do you think the fight is losing steam and big pay day for everyone because the UFC (is) stalling and putting too many cards?
Cyborg: No. Everyone will watch this fight.
Question: Carano vs. Rousey. Was this amusing to you?
Cyborg: When I heard rumors of this fight, it made me feel like the game of MMA is changing. It’s political now.
As you can see, Cyborg stayed pretty level-headed, calm and approachable throughout the AMA. Despite some questions that were probably intended to spark a headline-worthy response, Cyborg gave honest, open answers and presented herself professionally in this public space.
One interesting note that adds a little somethin‘ somethin‘ to a potential future showdown with Rousey, however, is the contrasting personalities and beliefs between the two women.
While Rousey is busy making Sports Illustrated‘s “Twitter 100” list and attending photo shoots for Buffalo David Bitton, Cyborg pokes fun at these channels and speaks negatively about their impact on fighters today.
Cyborg said young fighters wanting to break out today should “make a bunch of photo shoots and spend more time on Instagram and Facebook than training,” a dig at either Rousey specifically or at the changing culture among fighters as a whole. Either way, it’s clear that she speaks on the subject with more than a little disdain.
When asked why she wasn’t in the UFC yet, she said, “This isn’t my choice. In the beginning if you won you moved up rankings and fought the best. Now it’s more about fans, Twitter, TV.”
Rousey, meanwhile, has embraced everything from Twitter to the silver screen of Hollywood, pushing herself and her brand every chance she gets.
This adds a unique old-school versus new-school element to a potential fight between the two superstars, dousing the already-blazing fire with just a little more gasoline.
Even better, both fighters are incredible talents. Cyborg is a beastly force of equal parts raw power and technique. She’s 12-1 with 10 knockouts, and no woman has been able to withstand the punishment she dishes out since her first professional fight (her lone loss) in 2005.
On the other side, Rousey has barely been touched in professional action. The Olympic judoka is 10-0 with 10 finishes, and she’s earned her past two victories via knockout, a change of pace from her eight prior victories, which all came via armbar.
The UFC champ will face Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in February in her fifth title defense. If she wins, does Cyborg have dibs?
Time will tell, but if her AMA responses are any indication, it certainly seems as though the Brazilian is ready and eager to take on the challenge.
Who would you favor in this matchup? Is Cyborg’s stand-up game and power too much for Rousey, or is the UFC champion on a different level than every other female MMA competitor in the world, Cyborg included?
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