Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino returns to action this week, and it will be just another fight of total destruction to add to her resume.
Justino, the Invicta FC featherweight champion, defends her title against Faith Van Duin at Invicta FC 13 in Las Vegas. Van Duin has a 5-1 professional record and earned her title shot with a submission victory over Amanda Bell. It is a notable win, but it’s the only thing of note on her resume.
For Cyborg, this is a tuneup fight—perhaps her last at 145 pounds.
Cyborg has not lost since her MMA debut in 2005. The only other blemish on her record is a no-contest against Hiroko Yamanaka following a positive test for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. But Cyborg returned from her suspension to reel off three more dominant performances.
Earlier this year, it was discovered that Cyborg was not signed by Invicta FC, but rather the UFC prior to her Invicta FC 11 title defense against Charmaine Tweet. However, not having a women’s featherweight division, the UFC simply paid for her contract as she fought in Invicta FC. The UFC signee will attempt to make 135 pounds for her official UFC debut at some point in the future.
In February, Cyborg gave an interview with espnW and mentioned that she has a diet coach to help her achieve cutting to 135 pounds:
I’m doing my best now to make 135, I have a new diet coach. He follows me and I’m doing my best to make that, because the UFC doesn’t have my weight class at 145. We have goals now and we work together, the UFC and Invicta, to get there.
It is clear that a potential Cyborg-Ronda Rousey fight is the premier fight in women’s MMA. The two dominant figures is the money fight, but Cyborg’s weight has always been the question mark. It is unclear at this point if the UFC would sign Cyborg-Rousey right away without proof that she can make the weight, or if they will have Cyborg fight one fight in the UFC at 135 pounds prior to making the bout.
The weigh-ins for this event will be more closely watched than any previous Invicta weigh-in. How will Cyborg look? Will she be as big and lean as ever, or will she come out with an even slimmer figure to show off her hard work?
One thing’s for certain—Van Duin is going to take a beating at Invicta FC 13.
Most fans want Cyborg-Rousey to happen, but she has to make the weight for it to be a possibility. She has not shown that ability yet, but everyone still talks about that fight. Cyborg’s title defense will do nothing to prove that, either. This is about building hype of another unstoppable fighting machine. The fight this week will only add to the fervor as Cyborg crushes another outmatched opponent with ease.
This fight card takes place during International Fight Week, and it will draw a lot of interest. It is the perfect time to have another classic Cyborg performance followed by announcing her plans to drop to bantamweight. Santos is not in danger against Van Duin. This is a showcase fight, and it will be a violent one.
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