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For years, fight fans drooled over the idea of a potential super fight between former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Invicta FC champion Cris Cyborg Justino.

At one point, it was clear that Rousey and Justino were the best in the world in regards to women’s MMA, but in the fight game, fans always want to know who the true king, or queen in this case, of the jungle is. The weight disparity between the two, however, has always proved to be too much of a barrier to the fight taking place.

Rousey has since brutally fallen from her throne, but Cyborg has indeed made her way over to the UFC. Making her Octagon debut at May 2016’s UFC 198, Justino scored a vicious first round knockout victory over Leslie Smith in a 140-pound catchweight bout. She followed that up with yet another impressive stoppage victory over Lina Lansberg this past September in her native Brazil with the bout once again taking place at 140 pounds.

Photo Credit: Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports

It was clear that Cyborg’s brutal knockout power transferred over to the Octagon quite nicely. It was also clear that she was a legitimate draw and a legitimate star, but it was even clearer that she would never fight at 135 pounds. Weight once again proved to be an issue as she struggled to make the 140-pound catchweight limit.

The UFC, being the money-driven business it is, however, knew Cyborg was a valuable asset and an asset worth keeping, which is why they created a women’s featherweight division. The inaugural female 145-pound champion was crowned in the main event of last weekend’s (Feb. 11, 2017) UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York, but oddly enough, Justino was not involved in the fight.

Instead, former bantamweight champion Holly Holm took on Dutch striker Germaine de Randamie. Shortly after the bout was announced, Cyborg was flagged by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) for a potential anti-doping violation. Given that she has dealt with performance-enhancing-drug issues in the past, few were surprised that Justino was flagged, and it then made sense why she wasn’t a part of UFC 208’s main event.

De Randamie went on to win a somewhat controversial decision over Holm, but the division was left in a clutter. It had a champion who few felt was the best featherweight in the world, and a clear lack of contenders.

Yesterday (Feb. 17, 2017), however, it was announced that Justino had a received a retroactive TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption), meaning that she was eligible to compete in the UFC immediately.

With that being said, it’s clear that de Randamie vs. Justino is the fight to make, despite the fact that “The Iron Lady” said she may need hand surgery when asked about fighting the Brazilian slugger.

Either way, the fight world will likely get to see what it’s been waiting so long for: Cris Cyborg competing in the UFC at her natural weight. In other words, the uncrowned featherweight queen should finally get the chance to capture her crown.

Will she seize the opportunity?

The post Cris Cyborg: The Uncrowned Featherweight Queen appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dominating the headlines yesterday was the news that USADA had flagged Cris Cyborg for a failed random drug test. After years of fighting to get in to the UFC, Cyborg already faced an uphill battle in terms of weight. Unwilling to open a 145-pound division for Cyborg, the Invicta champion was forced to fight twice at 140 pounds catchweight. The cut was reportedly gruelling and the Brazilian later revealed the impact on her health was serious. Stating her blood was ‘too thick to draw’ after her latest bout, it seemed 140 pounds was no longer an option.

Next up on the list of dramas for Cyborg was the announcement of the women’s featherweight division. Considering this was the news she’d been waiting years for, many expected the Brazilian knockout artist to jump for joy. Citing her brutal weight cuts and the need to recover from them, Cyborg turned down two title fights. Eventually the inaugural title match was made between Holly Holm and Germaine Da Randamie and slated for UFC 208. Cyborg ripped Dana White and the UFC for persecuting her, but this entire situation was exacerbated by yesterday’s news.

USADA Test & Dana’s Reaction

Cyborg responded quickly to the news of her failed drug test, claiming it stemmed from a doctor-prescribed diuretic. Reports that she could face a maximum one-year suspension by USADA would substantiate the claims from her team, but the UFC president is not convinced. Speaking with TMZ yesterday, as quoted by MMAMania, White says he knew something was up:

“I offered three fights to Cyborg, and now we find out she just tested positive for a banned substance. USADA will handle it, we don’t. There will be some back and forth, see how this things plays out.”

“So it’s kind of weird, he continued. “First of all, I was offering her these fights at 145 pounds. First fight she had eight weeks to get ready. Second fight she had 11 weeks to get ready and the third fight she just turned down. I thought it was just strange that she was turning down all these fights … not so strange now. It’s weird how these things play out, and that I ended up making this Holly, Germaine fight at 45, which is perfect now.”

Thoughts

Hearing Dana White describe this situation as ‘perfect’ is rather ironic. The fact the best 145-pound fighter n the planet just got popped by USADA is nothing good. Perhaps Holm vs. Da Randamie will be a great fight, who knows, but one hard fact remains; That division will be under the shadow of Cyborg, even after the USADA controversy, until she fights in the UFC as a featherweight.

Further to that, and pondering Cyborg’s comments that her employers ‘don’t like her,’ would the UFC president react this way to Ronda Rousey or Conor McGregor in the same situation? Food for thought.

The post Dana White: Cris Cyborg Was Acting Strange Before Failed Drug Test appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.