Ronda Rousey always seems to crank up the intensity a bit when talking about Cris “Cyborg” Justino.
Speaking on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani (NSFW language), the UFC women’s bantamweight champion dished on Cyborg, and the results were critical, as expected.
“Cyborg is just a fraud and a cheat,” Rousey told Helwani. “I’ll do it (the fight), I’ll beat her, I’ll prove it to everybody, but it’s just, that girl, in my eyes, should be charged with attempted negligent homicide. Coming into the cage with performance-enhancing drugs is the equivalent of walking in there with a weapon.”
In Rousey‘s mind, Cyborg’s history of PED usage risks more than just the safety of her opponent on a given night; it puts the entire sport of MMA in jeopardy.
“It’s not about who hits the ball farther or something like that,” Rousey continued. “If you keep putting PEDs in people, it [the sport] becomes less and less safe. And the day that somebody dies in that Octagon and the other person tests positive for steroids, you’re going to have your first murder case involved in MMA, and that is the kind of thing that’s going to destroy the sport. It could destroy the sport forever.”
Unfortunately for fight fans, it’s unclear at the moment when—or if—Rousey will get the chance to back up her words inside the cage.
Right now, Cyborg is signed with Invicta Fighting Championships, where she was scheduled to make her 135-pound debut at Invicta FC 10 on Dec. 5.
However, Cyborg was forced off the card after she ruptured the anterior talofibular ligament in her left foot (h/t MMAFighting.com). Now, it’s unclear when she’ll make her debut for Invicta, and that’s a big deal.
Cyborg has never fought at bantamweight, and Rousey has previously said that she has no interest in taking the fight at a catchweight or at featherweight.
As a result, Cyborg would need to prove that she can safely make weight at 135, and she would have to show that she’s just as fearsome after shedding 10 pounds.
While her resume is impressive—she’s 12-1 with 10 knockouts—the UFC probably won’t pen her to fight Rousey until she gets at least one fight at bantamweight under her belt.
Until then, we’ll just have to listen to Rousey spit acid in her direction, setting the stage for what will be the most anticipated showdown in women’s MMA history.
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