Cris Cyborg Drops Hint At Amanda Nunes Being Her Last UFC Fight

Cris Cyborg may have her sights set on the exit door from the UFC if she is granted a fight with Amanda Nunes.

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Cris Cyborg may have her sights set on the exit door from the UFC if she is granted a fight with Amanda Nunes.

This isn’t the first time that UFC women’s featherweight champion has dropped a hint about leaving the UFC as she has stated in the past that she would like to make the transition from MMA to boxing but the only problem with that plan is the fact that she is under contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion for the time being, which will force her to fight out the remaining fights on that current deal.

As seen in the main event of the UFC 222 event on pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Cyborg successfully retained her title against newcomer Yana Kunitskaya by picking up a TKO win in the first round. This marked her latest bout with the promotion.

Just back in May, Cyborg stated in an interview at the HBO Boxing’s event featuring female welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus that she plans to fight out her UFC contract that has two fights left on it and then make the move to boxing for a potential bout with Braekhus.

Earlier this week, Cyborg and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes teased fighting each other at either the UFC 228 or UFC 232 event, which would allow her to fight that last bout of her contract and wait until March where her contract with the UFC would expire.

“I think this fight will be my last in the UFC, because my contract expires in March,” Cyborg told Brazilian television show Combate News, “and doing this fight in December, I think it will be the last that people will see me fight.”

One of the main reasons that Cyborg wants to depart is due to the fact that she feels that the UFC hasn’t built the featherweight division to create contenders to challenge her for the belt despite the fact that the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter will feature female featherweights including Leah Letson, Larissa Pacheco, Marciea Allen, Pannie Kianzad, Bea Malecki, Julija Stoliarenko, Katharina Lehner, and Macy Chiasson.

“They are doing the TUF house and cut all the girls from 145,” Cyborg said. “They only added girls that can make 135. Holly Holm said she doesn’t want to fight now. There’s Pam Sorenson, she tried out for TUF and didn’t make it, I think they didn’t add her because she can’t make 135. There’s Cindy Dandois, who beat Megan Anderson as well. There’s Ediane Gomes, who sends me messages challenging me all the time, who is also from my division.

”There are girls that can fight, from my division. But they don’t want that, they only want me to fight Amanda. But we have to wait 10 months, almost a year to make this fight happen.”

The UFC has tried to book Cyborg vs. Nunes for the last year or so but has yet to be successful and although this is a fight that most fight fans want to see, if the fighters can’t get on the same page and wait too long, the desire to see this fight happen may decline.

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Five Best Fights To Make After UFC 222

UFC 222 last night (March 3, 2018) from Las Vegas, Nev., had a little bit of everything. From young prospects upsetting established veterans to a dominant performance by the women’s featherweight champion, Saturday night was a barnburner. Brian Ortega did the unthinkable by becoming the first man to finish Frankie Edgar in his entire career, […]

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UFC 222 last night (March 3, 2018) from Las Vegas, Nev., had a little bit of everything.

From young prospects upsetting established veterans to a dominant performance by the women’s featherweight champion, Saturday night was a barnburner.

Brian Ortega did the unthinkable by becoming the first man to finish Frankie Edgar in his entire career, Cyborg proved why there’s only one fight that makes sense for her, and surging newcomer Sean O’Malley showed some serious heart after appearing to break his leg against Andre  Soukhamthath.

On a night full of intriguing, unique action, some great potential bouts arose for the immediate future. We broke down the five best fights to make after UFC 222 here:

5. Andrei Arlovski vs. Winner of Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Volkov

Arlovski keeps plugging along in the heavyweight division, and now he’s riding a two-fight win streak after defeating Stefan Struve on the main card of UFC 222.

While both men offered tepid performances, Arlovski still won, so he lives to see another day within the Octagon. He’s had a rough go with the top of the division, but it’s a shallow one.

Still, he’s on a two-fight win streak, so a fight with the winner of March 17’s Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Volkov main event in London makes sense for the former champion. Werdum, a former champion himself, or Volkov, who beat Struve by knockout in his last fight, is the best possible match-up for Arlovski at this stage of his career.

Werdum or Volkov gets the chance to add another big name to their list of vanquished enemies, or Arlovski wins and begins another improbable win streak.

Either way, it’s the fight to make.

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Shocker: Cyborg Massive Favorite Heading Into UFC 222

To the surprise of no one, Cris Cyborg has opened up as a massive betting favorite against Yana Kunitskaya for their UFC 222 title fight. Kunitskaya is taking on the UFC women’s featherweight champion in a late-replacement bout in the main event of March 3’s UFC 222 after original headliner Max Holloway was forced out of his […]

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To the surprise of no one, Cris Cyborg has opened up as a massive betting favorite against Yana Kunitskaya for their UFC 222 title fight.

Kunitskaya is taking on the UFC women’s featherweight champion in a late-replacement bout in the main event of March 3’s UFC 222 after original headliner Max Holloway was forced out of his featherweight title defense versus Frankie Edgar. Cyborg had previously been linked to a much-discussed superfight with UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at July’s anticipated UFC 226.

Before then, Cyborg will defend her featherweight belt against the relative unknown Kunitskaya and opened as a -1000 betting favorite compared to a +600 Kunitskaya. That means the challenger is a six-to-one underdog while at 10 to 1, the champion has the full and unbridled confidence from the bookmakers.

Kunitskaya is a 28-year-old Russian who will be making her UFC debut against Cyborg, an admittedly tall order.

Elsewhere, former WWE superstar-turned-fighter CM Punk will be a +200 under to Mike Jackson, himself an MMA journalist who moonlights as a fighter for up-and-comers. He was Mickey Gall’s first UFC opponent in his Octagon debut and will serve as a suitable dance partner for the woefully inexperienced Punk at the June card from Chicago.

It seems that Cyborg will make a quick title defense before the rumored superfight with Nunes this summer, assuming she gets past this UFC newcomer.

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Champion vs. Champion Superfight Could Headline UFC 224 In Brazil

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes could be taking on women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg at UFC 224 in Brazil according to Combate. The superfight between two of the most dominant and vicious female champions the UFC has ever seen will reportedly be for Cyborg’s 145-pound title, meaning Nunes has an opportunity to become the first […]

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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes could be taking on women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg at UFC 224 in Brazil according to Combate.

The superfight between two of the most dominant and vicious female champions the UFC has ever seen will reportedly be for Cyborg’s 145-pound title, meaning Nunes has an opportunity to become the first woman in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously.

Cyborg’s division is completely bereft of contenders; the only other woman in the featherweight division for Cyborg to potentially fight, former champion Germaine de Randamie, refused to take on the Brazilian striker, going so far as to relinquish her belt and move back down to bantamweight to avoid the match-up. Cyborg has been linked to a bout with Invicta FC featherweight champ Megan Anderson, but the fight has yet to come even close to fruition.

This would be the first fight back in their native Brazil in nearly three years for both Nunes and Cyborg.

Nunes (15-4) will look to start the new year off in a big way after a tepid performance against Valentina Schevchenko at UFC 215, which went to a split decision. Before that, she blasted right through former champion Ronda Rousey in 48 seconds flat at 2016’s UFC 207.

Meanwhile, Cyborg (19-1) just defeated former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 219 on December 30, 2017.

UFC 224 will take place on May 12 in Rio De Janeiro.

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Champion vs. Champion Superfight Could Headline UFC 224 In Brazil

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes could be taking on women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg at UFC 224 in Brazil according to Combate. The superfight between two of the most dominant and vicious female champions the UFC has ever seen will reportedly be for Cyborg’s 145-pound title, meaning Nunes has an opportunity to become the first […]

The post Champion vs. Champion Superfight Could Headline UFC 224 In Brazil appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes could be taking on women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg at UFC 224 in Brazil according to Combate.

The superfight between two of the most dominant and vicious female champions the UFC has ever seen will reportedly be for Cyborg’s 145-pound title, meaning Nunes has an opportunity to become the first woman in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously.

Cyborg’s division is completely bereft of contenders; the only other woman in the featherweight division for Cyborg to potentially fight, former champion Germaine de Randamie, refused to take on the Brazilian striker, going so far as to relinquish her belt and move back down to bantamweight to avoid the match-up. Cyborg has been linked to a bout with Invicta FC featherweight champ Megan Anderson, but the fight has yet to come even close to fruition.

This would be the first fight back in their native Brazil in nearly three years for both Nunes and Cyborg.

Nunes (15-4) will look to start the new year off in a big way after a tepid performance against Valentina Schevchenko at UFC 215, which went to a split decision. Before that, she blasted right through former champion Ronda Rousey in 48 seconds flat at 2016’s UFC 207.

Meanwhile, Cyborg (19-1) just defeated former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 219 on December 30, 2017.

UFC 224 will take place on May 12 in Rio De Janeiro.

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Cyborg Says Ronda Rousey Needs Professional Help

Ronda Rousey has officially signed with professional wrestling powerhouse WWE after seemingly retiring from MMA. While the former women’s bantamweight champ has been remaining mum on her last two fights which ended in her being viciously knocked out, longtime foe Cris Cyborg feels as if Rousey is running from fighting for an easier payday. Cyborg spoke […]

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Ronda Rousey has officially signed with professional wrestling powerhouse WWE after seemingly retiring from MMA.

While the former women’s bantamweight champ has been remaining mum on her last two fights which ended in her being viciously knocked out, longtime foe Cris Cyborg feels as if Rousey is running from fighting for an easier payday.

Cyborg spoke with MMA Fighting after being asked her thoughts on Rousey’s signing with the WWE:

“I believe that she will be happy in WWE, and it’s completely different from the reality of MMA. For an example, wins and losses are decided before the shows.”

“I think it’s normal. In reality, we can only talk about things that we already overcame in our minds. She hasn’t overcome her MMA losses yet, even in another stage of her career. Sometimes people need professional help to get over it.”

Rousey and Cyborg have disliked each other for years, ever since the two competed under the Strikeforce banner. When Rousey was still champion, many fight fans and pundits believed Cyborg was the only woman who could stop her, but that fight never came to fruition.

Instead, Cyborg is focusing on defending her women’s featherweight title in a division that’s light on contenders. While the featherweight division fleshes out, Cyborg claims she’s already accepted a bout against women’s bantamweight champion and fellow Brazilian brawler Amanda Nunes:

“My focus is to fight someone in my division because I hope it grows. But like I said, I’ve accepted to fight Amanda (at UFC 226 on July 7), if she wants that so much. Now my manager is negotiating the terms so this fight happens.”

Do you agree with Cyborg on Rousey’s decision to leave MMA for pro wrestling?

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