Miesha Tate Open to Catchweight Bout with Cris 'Cyborg' Justino | UFC Betting Sites

UFC women’s bantamweight Miesha “Cupcake” Tate may have opened up the pipeline to the Octagon for Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

Speaking at a recent fan Q&A session in Manila ahead of UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber this past weekend, Tate was asked about taking on the 13-1 Brazilian powerhouse.

Cupcake answered confidently (h/t Fightland):

That’s my job. I have to fight anyone they put in front of me and obviously I’m not scared of anyone. So yes, I would [fight her at catchweight]. But I heard Cyborg is signed to fight at 135, so I would prefer to fight her in my weight class. If they had a 125 [division], I’d like to go down, but they don’t, so it’s 135 for me. That’s the weight class I prefer to be in.

Currently, Tate is booked to fight Jessica Eye July 25 at UFC on Fox 16 in Chicago. With a win there, Tate said at the Q&A, she would want another a title shot against the winner of the UFC 190 main event between current champion and UFC superstar Ronda Rousey and her next challenger, Bethe Correia.

“After I fight her, hopefully the word on the street is that I will get another fight with Ronda,” Tate said.

If that doesn’t come to fruition, a fight against Cyborg would be hotly anticipated by MMA fans across the globe.

For years, fans and critics have touted Cyborg as the biggest challenge to Rousey‘s throne, but a variety of roadblocks have prevented the bout from happening.

First, Cyborg has never fought at the 135-pound limit, and Rousey is uninterested in moving up to meet her at featherweight or at a 140-pound catchweight.

Cyborg was slated to make her bantamweight debut in December 2014 at Invicta FC 10, but that bout fell apart when she pulled out with an injury. Cyborg has fought once since then, defending her Invicta featherweight title against Charmaine Tweet at Invicta FC 11 in February.

Presently, Cyborg is slated to fight at Invicta FC 13 in July, again at featherweight.

As such, it may take a catchweight bout—like the one Tate mentioned in Manila—to officially get Cyborg inside the UFC Octagon.

Whether she fights at 140 pounds or dedicates herself to making the cut to 135, her presence under the UFC banner could be huge, and a bout opposite Tate could set the stage for the Rousey vs. Cyborg superfight we’ve wanted for so long.

For now, though, any mention of Cyborg outside the featherweight division is speculation. While Tate’s acceptance of the hypothetical matchup is nice to hear, it’s far from official, and Cyborg to the UFC remains a “believe it when you see it” case.

Still, it’s fun to think about, and a Tate vs. Cyborg matchup would undoubtedly represent one of the biggest fights of the year.

Who would you take in this showdown? Could Tate get it done, or would Cyborg steamroll her way to another victory?