Tonya Evinger isn’t showing fear ahead of her bout with Cris Cyborg. Cyborg was originally matched up with Megan Anderson in a bout that would crown a new women’s featherweight champion at UFC 214 on July 29. Personal issues forced Anderson off the card and now Evinger is taking her place. The Invicta FC bantamweight […]
Tonya Evinger isn’t showing fear ahead of her bout with Cris Cyborg. Cyborg was originally matched up with Megan Anderson in a bout that would crown a new women’s featherweight champion at UFC 214 on July 29. Personal issues forced Anderson off the card and now Evinger is taking her place. The Invicta FC bantamweight […]
Germaine de Randamie’s title reign as the first women’s featherweight championship will certainly go down as one of the most cotroversial in UFC history. After defeating Holly Holm for the newly-created division at UFC 208 in Brooklyn, “The Iron Lady” made it perfectly clear that she would not fight fellow 145-pounder Cris “Cyborg” Santos, citing […]
Germaine de Randamie’s title reign as the first women’s featherweight championship will certainly go down as one of the most cotroversial in UFC history.
After defeating Holly Holm for the newly-created division at UFC 208 in Brooklyn, “The Iron Lady” made it perfectly clear that she would not fight fellow 145-pounder Cris “Cyborg” Santos, citing the Brazilian’s past and present problems testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.
Being that the UFC essentially created the division for “Cyborg”, de Randamie’s refusal to defend her belt against the clear-cut number one contender forced the UFC’s hand in stripping her of the belt.
De Randamie spoke about being stripped of the belt for the first time via Instagram this week.
“As many of you will know, the UFC has stripped me from the belt,” de Randamie wrote. “For those of us who do not know what that means; The UFC has unpacked my title because I refuse to fight against their number one challenger. (I have my reasons for that). It’s great to hear this news from the media and I’m sorry that it’s running, but it’s what it is!
“Well, I hear you thinking again ‘She’s scared! What a bad champion! A shame for the sport! She did not deserve to be a champion!”, etc, etc. I’ve seen it all over. But apart from what everyone thinks, I’m walking my own path. And there you can agree or not.”
However, de Randamie did say that the incident will affect her career as a fighter.
“That I’m stripped does not mean I’m going to stop,” de Randamie said. The UFC is not long for me! It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.”
“Cyborg” will instead face up-and-comer Megan Anderson for the vacated belt at UFC 214. Prior to the creation of the women’s featherweight division, “Cyborg” had fought her first two UFC bouts at a catch weight of 140 pounds.
Jon Jones may be back in the main event scene after all. It’s no secret that Jones has had a troubled past. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder made eight successful title defenses. During that span, he had a DUI case and was charged with a hit-and-run. The UFC stripped Jones […]
Jon Jones may be back in the main event scene after all. It’s no secret that Jones has had a troubled past. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder made eight successful title defenses. During that span, he had a DUI case and was charged with a hit-and-run. The UFC stripped Jones […]
UFC Fight Night 95 went down last night (September 24, 2016) from Brasilia, Brazil, and was headlined by Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s second UFC appearance. The fight, if you can call it that, went as expected. Pitting the most dangerous female fighter in history against a woman who possessed no high-level MMA experience? Little wonder ‘Cyborg’
UFC Fight Night 95 went down last night (September 24, 2016) from Brasilia, Brazil, and was headlined by Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s second UFC appearance. The fight, if you can call it that, went as expected. Pitting the most dangerous female fighter in history against a woman who possessed no high-level MMA experience? Little wonder ‘Cyborg’ landed 84 significant strikes in a thorough beatdown. The only thing surprising about it was that it lasted seven and a half minutes instead of Justino’s customary two.
After her two fights on Brazilian soil, there is no denying that the female wrecking machine has a certain cachet, particularly in her home country. With all due respect to the all-female promotion, sending ‘Cyborg’ back to the relative obscurity of Invicta doesn’t seem likely at this point. She has headlined one UFC show and been a significant part of another pay-per-view (PPV) draw. Her charisma and intimidating prowess ensure that she will continue to sell well, especially in Brazil. The crowds’ responses to her have been noticeably louder than usual.
If Justino is destined to continue competing in the Octagon, there are two questions that stand out. One, who will she fight, and two, at what weight will she compete? ‘Cyborg’ said post-fight that she was willing to throw down at 140 again, but it would have to be against a top-ten opponent. This comment hits on both questions.
Starting with her next potential foe, the UFC needs to give her a ranked bantamweight. Featherweight is too thin, bereft of any talent that could give Justino a run for her money. This is the reason the UFC doesn’t make her a champion and build a division around her, a la Ronda Rousey. The shellackings she handed out in Invicta are representative of what 145 pounds has to offer ‘Cyborg’. The best female fighter in the world does not need to be spoon-fed opponents making their major MMA debuts or ones with middling records. She can and should be fighting the best.
Which brings us to the next question: will she continue to compete at 140 pounds? This should be up to her opponent. There is no reason for the UFC to continue to force ‘Cyborg’, who already struggles mightily to make 145, to cut an extra four pounds. Anyone who saw the documentary on her when she is cutting weight can see the truth of that.
Doing super fights at 145 instead of 140 doesn’t make any difference from a promotional standpoint. Making Justino fight at 140 instead of her actual weight class is more about the UFC trying to keep her in her place. Conor McGregor changed the self-promotional game and snatched significant control from the UFC. The promoter is loath to let that happen with any other potential stars. Telling ‘Cyborg’ who, when, where, and at what weight she will compete is part of maintaining that control.
But that is unconscionable after seeing Justino make 140. The only reason she should be trying to make 140 again is because that is the only weight her opponent would agree to. And I would argue that if a potential adversary insists on fighting her at that weight, the UFC should try to find someone else. If no ranked opponent is willing to go up the scale and fight her at featherweight, then and only then should she make the cut to 140 again.
It is understandable that a bantamweight fighter would not want to go all the way up to 145 to battle the most fearsome female fighter in history. Making her cut that extra four to five pounds could help swing the balance for an opponent who could survive the first couple rounds. A potential win over Justino is a win over the best woman to ever do it, whether it comes at 140 or 145 pounds. Fighting her at featherweight, being able to claim to be the best featherweight in the world, and then returning to bantamweight doesn’t make a ton of sense when the alternative is a potentially easier fight with ‘Cyborg’.
But if someone like Germaine de Randamie, Miesha Tate, or Valentina Shevchenko is willing to fight her at 145, that should absolutely be the next course of action. Putting both the long and short-term health of one of its fighters, let alone a budding superstar, to keep her under its proverbial thumb is senseless for the UFC. ‘Cyborg’ needs an actual challenge, and if at all possible, the risk she incurs should be in the Octagon, not on the scale.
Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino is set to make her second appearance in the UFC’s Octagon, when she takes on the ‘Elbow Princess’ Lina Lansberg at UFC Fight Night 95. Justino (16-1) most recently saw Octagon action for the first time under the UFC banner when she dismantled Leslie Smith via round one KO at UFC 198
Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino is set to make her second appearance in the UFC’s Octagon, when she takes on the ‘Elbow Princess’ Lina Lansberg at UFC Fight Night 95.
Justino (16-1) most recently saw Octagon action for the first time under the UFC banner when she dismantled Leslie Smith via round one KO at UFC 198 this past May.
Lansberg (6-1) will make her own UFC debut against arguably the most dominant women’s mixed martial artist of all time, coming off of a second round TKO win over opponent Maria Hougaard Djursaa in March.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Lansberg discussed her upcoming bout with ‘Cyborg’ and credited the Brazilian for her ability to mentally break her opponents before they even step inside of the cage:
Cris Cyborg fed her fists with the brains of Leslie Smith, but they are still hungry…
“It’s tough for them to find opponents for Cris, and I’ve had a lot of standup fights before, so I do understand why they chose me,” Landberg said. “Of course I was familiar with her.
I know some of the others as well, but I have been following her for years in muay Thai and in MMA. I know her well.Definitely she beats opponents before they get in the cage. When she gets in there, and you see it in her last fight against (Leslie) Smith.
You saw it from the start that she was beat waking to the cage. It’s definitely the biggest reason to why she wins all the time.”
While Lansberg may be criticized by many MMA fans for not knowing what she is getting herself into with such a tall task in her UFC debut, her track record certainly speaks volumes about her ability to stand and trade with any female combatant she is thrown in against:
“I’ve been fighting muay Thai for so many years now,” Lansberg said. “I have 85 or 90 fights, many of them in the European and world championships.
I’ve fought against (Valentina) Shevchenko, who is fighting in the UFC now. I fought her in the finals of a world championship match. I’ve done it for many years, and I’ve won several gold medals in the European championship and the world championship.
“I’ve been preparing for something like this for a long time. I’ve been traveling the world to fight before, and it’s a lot of pressure, but it’s the way I want it to be. That’s the fun part as well. The bigger, the better.”
Lansberg claims that mentally she is ‘100 percent’ ready to step inside the cage with Justino, but pities ‘Cyborg’s’ current position as the one with everything to lose but nothing to gain from this contest:
“Everything is mental 100 percent,” Lansberg said. “It’s a mental game. The technique and the physics is just a small part of it. It’s the mental gave that’s most important.
I’m comfortable with that, and I work a lot mentally right now, as well, and I have for quite a while with my coach and with a psychologist. It’s a mental game.
“I’m lucky I’m not Cris in this actually because I know the feeling when you go into a fight and you have everything to lose and nothing to win really. I wouldn’t like to be her in this fight. It’s much better to be me to be the underdog and have everything to win.”
The ‘Elbow Princess’ plans to topple ‘Cyborg’ en-route to a ‘shortcut’ to the top of the UFC, and plans on utilizing her coveted elbows to bust open the ‘beatable’ Justino in order to do so:
“I love elbows,” Lansberg said. “They make everybody bleed so much, and I love that. It will be so much fun. She’s tough, and she’s going to bleed a lot. That’s why I do it. I’m going to enjoy it, and we’re going to have a good time, me and Cris.”
“This fight is absolutely a shortcut to the top, and it’s the best way possible,” Lansberg said. “She is beatable. She has beat many good names, but also a lot of names that weren’t that good, and she’s still human.
A lot of people win all the time, but everybody is beatable.”
‘Cyborg’ and Lansberg will meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 95 live from the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil on September 24, 2016.
The ‘Elbow Princess’ plans to topple ‘Cyborg’ en-route to a ‘shortcut’ to the top of the UFC, and plans on utilizing her coveted elbows to bust open the ‘beatable’ Justino in order to do so: