LAS VEGAS — While Cris Cyborg may have suffered the first loss of her young Muay Thai career on Friday night, she still took away one crucial positive from the experience.
Less than a week after finally declaring her intentions to drop down to 135 pounds and seek a bout against UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, the current Invicta featherweight queen underwent the easiest weight cut of her life.
“I normally walk around at 160. This is the first time I made 145 with no sauna and no [problems],” Cyborg told MMAFighting.com. “First time. My diet changed, my training has changed, and you know, for the first time I was scared, because always before my fights I suffer so bad.
“But I did very good work, trained hard. I did everything healthy.”
The stress-free weight cut failed to translate into a win, as Cyborg dropped a unanimous decision to Jorina Baars at Lion Fight 14 — although the very fact that Cyborg was able to hang tough with an undefeated world champion while fighting in her third professional Muay Thai bout is impressive in and of itself.
Because of the ease with which she’s historically dominated opponents in mixed martial arts, Cyborg always carried an air of invincibility with her into the cage. And for her part, she believes the loss to Baars did little to tarnish that reputation.
“I think it’s a different sport,” Cyborg said. “I compete sometimes in jiu-jitsu as a world champ, and I tried to be a champ (in kickboxing). Who tries to be a world champion in Muay Thai after two fights?
“I love striking, but MMA and Muay Thai are different.
“[Baars] has fought in MMA, she’s lost a few fights,” Cyborg added. “It’s different. Who inside MMA that’s a champion goes to fight Muay Thai? Nobody. But I love competing.”
Cyborg anticipates that she’ll be able to successfully make the cut to 135 pounds by late summer or the early fall. And while she obviously has her eyes set on a blockbuster match against Rousey, Cyborg is willing to take on all comers, if need be.
“I’m ready for anybody,” she vowed. “I never say no.”