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Holly Holm Reveals Why She Turned Down “Cyborg” Fight

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm is slated to meet No. 9-ranked Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of July 23’s UFC on FOX 20 from Chicago. This will be Holm’s first performance since surrendering her title in a submission loss to Miesha Tate last March. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was hoping to receive an

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Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm is slated to meet No. 9-ranked Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of July 23’s UFC on FOX 20 from Chicago.

This will be Holm’s first performance since surrendering her title in a submission loss to Miesha Tate last March. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was hoping to receive an immediate rematch with Tate, but “Cupcake” will instead face off with Amanda Nunes at July 9’s UFC 200.

Many were surprised when Holm was booked against Shevchenko, and it appears as if she was actually offered another high profile fight: a catch weight bout with Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

Justino recently destroyed Leslie Smith at UFC 198 in her Octagon debut, but a bout between herself and Holm would’ve been massive.

Recently speaking on the matter, Holm admitted that she turned down the bout with “Cyborg” simply because she was hoping to land the rematch with Tate. The former champion also very clearly stated that she’d be willing to fight Justino at any weight:

“I’m not even stuck on the 135 compared to 140, that’s not really a big thing for me. They did call me for the fight, that is definitely true. I was so focused and I really wanted to see if I was going to get that rematch for the belt because that is where my passion was really facing. And that was around the time they asked me for the fight with Cyborg and I was holding out to see if I could get the rematch. To me, I am not against fighting Cyborg, it just didn’t really seem like the right time. In boxing, I fought in three weight classes, so I am not opposed to fighting at 140. I actually think Cyborg might make 135, who knows. But that could be an option for the future. I am actually very happy for her victory. I really like Cyborg, I think she’s a great gal.” Holm told 120 Sports.

Would you like to see “The Preacher’s Daughter” do battle with the Brazilian slugger in the future?

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Cris Cyborg Can ‘Absolutely’ Make Bantamweight – But There’s a Price

Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino is a massive 145-pounder, and her weight has kept her out of the UFC for years given the fact that the promotion currently doesn’t have a featherweight division. She has attempted to cut down to 135-pounds before, but has yet to compete at that weight. With her UFC

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She has attempted to cut down to 135-pounds before, but has yet to compete at that weight.

With her UFC debut, which was an 81-second destruction of Leslie Smith in a 140-pound catch weight bout at UFC 198 (May 14, 2016), now in the rearview mirror, talks have unsurprisingly turned to whether or not the Brazilian slugger would ever really be able to make the bantamweight limit safely.

A plethora of fights would await her at 135-pounds including the long rumored super fight with ex-champion Ronda Rousey as well as a possible clash with current divisional title holder Miesha Tate.

Speaking on the topic, “Cyborg’s” nutritionist, George Lockhart, said that she could ‘absolutely’ make the cut down to bantamweight, although it would likely come at a price:

“Could she make the cut? Absolutely,” Lockhart explained on The Luke Thomas Show (Transcription via MMA Fighting). “She can make 135. She can make 130, but performing? That’s another question. That right there comes down to time. She put in a lot of time for this.”

“People don’t realize how hard it was just to get down to 139. She had to do three-a-days every single day of the week. Sundays she had a day off, but still. Three-a-days, it’s a lot. She’s running, doing a lot of road work.”

Lockhart may have a point here, as a draining weight cut could take away some of Justino’s advantages, specifically her brutal knockout power.

At the end of the day, however, the coach feels as if making bantamweight is possible, although he doesn’t know how realistic the move would be:

“If she ever said, ‘You know what? I want to come down to the 135.’ I think it’d be possible,” Lockhart said. “But is it definite? Honestly, I don’t know.”

What do you expect of “Cyborg’s” future in the UFC?

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Cris Cyborg Calls Out Ronda Rousey For Madison Square Garden Fight

Bulldozing 145-pound Invicta FC champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino finally made her long-awaited Octagon debut on the main card of last night’s (May 14, 2016) UFC 198 from her home of Curitiba, Brazil. Justino has long been considered to be one of the most feared female fighters on the planet, and she showed why last night

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Justino has long been considered to be one of the most feared female fighters on the planet, and she showed why last night when she demolished Leslie Smith in just over a minute in their 140-pound catch weight bout.

“Cyborg” has always been linked to a potential super fight with previously dominant bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, but the weight discrepancy along with the fact that Justino wasn’t signed with the UFC had always prevented that.

Now with one of the two barriers out of the way, and the weight appearing to be less of an issue, the fight may become more of a reality, although “Cyborg” opted not to call the “Rowdy” one out last night:

“I believe it was my moment. Tonight was my moment, it was historic.” Cyborg told FOX Sports. “I never thought I’d be sitting here tonight. I never thought I’d be here after everything I went through and it’s a historic moment for me. Talking about her is something that people are going to talk about, but I let my fans decide on who my opponent will be and I just have to be ready.”

Touching on the weight, Justino admitted that she felt strong last night, but also revealed that she’d like to continue to defend her Invicta strap:

“I’ve been training for two years to be able to make weight yesterday. And I felt very well tonight and I believe I can do other superfights, but I’m going to continue my weight class,” she said. “I’ve been the champion for some time and I want female MMA to grow, and I don’t think it’s the right thing for me to abandon my weight class.”

Less than 24 hours after her first UFC victory, it appears as if “Cyborg” has enjoyed her moment enough, taking to her official Twitter account to call out Rousey for a potential fight at UFC 205 this November in New York:

Hey @rondarousey you running all the way to New York? #dontbescaredhomie #CHAMPIONvsEXChampion #ufc205 https://t.co/thgexmLrgI

— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) May 15, 2016

Rousey has been out of action since shockingly being knocked out by Holly Holm last November, and it’s expected that she’ll return at Madison Square Garden, although likely in a title fight.

Could you see the UFC booking Rousey vs. “Cyborg”?

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Find Out Why Holly Holm Turned Down Fight With Cris Cyborg

The MMA world was given a refreshing bit of news when it was revealed earlier this week that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino would finally be making her UFC debut against Leslie Smith at May 14’s UFC 198 from her homeland of Curitiba, Brazil. While Smith is most certainly a gritty and talented

The post Find Out Why Holly Holm Turned Down Fight With Cris Cyborg appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The MMA world was given a refreshing bit of news when it was revealed earlier this week that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino would finally be making her UFC debut against Leslie Smith at May 14’s UFC 198 from her homeland of Curitiba, Brazil.

While Smith is most certainly a gritty and talented fighter and also deserves respect for taking the 140-pound catchweight fight, most hoped ‘Cyborg’ would make her debut against the top fighters of the UFC women’s bantamweight division. Obviously Justino has a long-standing feud Ronda Rousey, and bouts with champion Miesha Tate or top contenders Holly Holm and Cat Zingano are very enticing prospects.

However, UFC President Dana White spoke up to declare that no one other than Smith wanted the fight, and apparently Holm, who recently lost the title to Miesha Tate at March 5’s UFC 196, is one that did not. In a recent appearance at a news conference transcribed by The Albuquerque Journal, Holm touched on her desires for her next fight, which not surprisingly include rematches with Tate or Rousey:

“This one’s definitely a little more out of my hands. (In boxing), I knew that Lenny would give me the opportunity as long as I wanted it. This is a whole different situation.

“I really want that rematch, but I’m not the one with the title now. I’m not the one with the belt. So I have to be patient and wait for that opportunity to come.”

‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ seems to know the bargaining chips are a bit out of her hands after Tate submitted her in the fifth round of their title bout, and she believes she can’t be too picky as a result:

“Right now, what’s on my heart is the rematch,” she said. “(But) I don’t necessarily want to be too picky, either. I’m the one coming off a loss. I can’t expect to have everything handed to me, so we’ll see what happens.”

Holm’s longtime manager Lenny Fresquez also spoke up on the subject, adding that the UFC will hopefully give them a chance at Tate or Rousey when her next fight is booked:

“Miesha was in Australia on vacation, so they were supposed to get with her this week,” Fresquez said. “Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we’ll know. But whether it’s Miesha or Ronda, those are the fights we’re interested in.”

As for the Cyborg fight, Fresquez, whom White infamously said was ‘not that smart’ in a tirade post-UFC 196, said that Holm’s camp is simply not interested in fighting ‘Cyborg’ right now:

“(Fighting Rousey or Tate) is pretty much what Holly wants to do,” Fresquez said. “If they have something else, it’s my job to present it to her. I’ve made her wishes known to them.

“We were not interested in that right now,” Fresquez said. “(Holm) just wants to fight Miesha.”

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