UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg may want a quick turnaround for her next title defense, but it doesn’t look to be happening.
Not even a week removed from defending her UFC women’s featherweight title vs. Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg has already shifted her attention to who she wants to fight next. On her Instagram page, Cyborg said the following: “I got a call asking if I would fight [Megan Anderson] in her home country and I said Yes!”
This would obviously refer to UFC 221 in Perth, Australia on February 11th. Cyborg and Anderson were actually supposed to fight each other at UFC 214 last July, but Anderson pulled out due to undisclosed personal issues, and was replaced by Tonya Evinger.
So are we going to see Cyborg take on Anderson next month? Don’t bank on it, because MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reports that not only is the fight not official, it’s probably not going to happen on this card.
Cyborg vs Anderson isn’t set for Perth. In fact, it’s a long shot at best at the moment. Anderson still not cleared. Hopefully soon, though.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 3, 2018
Cyborg (19-1, 1 NC) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Holm in UFC 219’s Fight of the Night. It was her first defense of the title she won vs. Evinger, and it doubled as the first five-round decision win of her entire career.
Anderson (8-2) has won four straight fights, including a TKO of Charmaine Tweet to win Invicta FC’s interim featherweight strap, before later being promoted to undisputed champion. The 27-year-old stands 6’0” tall and has a 77.5” reach, so she’d have both a height and reach advantage over the Brazilian.
While UFC 221 may not get Cyborg vs. Anderson, fans in Perth will get to see middleweight champion Robert Whittaker take on Luke Rockhold in the main event.