As noted earlier today, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino was flagged by USADA for a potential UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test administered to her on December 5th.
“What I can say now is that they are talking to my doctor, and I’m calm,” Cyborg told the MMA media outlet. “Everybody knows I’m sick, that I’m recovering from the weight cut I had to do for the fight. What is happening is post weight-cut. Everybody knows I’m sick. They are talking to do my doctor to solve this the best way.”
Cyborg continued, “It’s nothing bad. I’m on medical treatment.”
Cris Cyborg was recently offered a fight for the first-ever UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship at the UFC 208 pay-per-view, the first-ever UFC event in Brooklyn, New York. Cyborg ended up turning down the fight due to her claims that she either couldn’t, or wouldn’t make the 145-pound weight limit in time for the February event.
In addition to the above comments from Cyborg, her boyfriend, Ray Elbe, wrote the following on The Underground forum, claiming the drug she tested positive for this week was not a steroid.
“Not for a steroid, and she has a prescription as part of the post fight therapy she’s been receiving due to the severe weight cut.
“This has been known for a few days, and Cris doctor has been in direct contact with USADA turning over all the necessary patient files to document the reasons Cris needs the medication.”
As noted earlier today, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino was flagged by USADA for a potential UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test administered to her on December 5th.
“What I can say now is that they are talking to my doctor, and I’m calm,” Cyborg told the MMA media outlet. “Everybody knows I’m sick, that I’m recovering from the weight cut I had to do for the fight. What is happening is post weight-cut. Everybody knows I’m sick. They are talking to do my doctor to solve this the best way.”
Cyborg continued, “It’s nothing bad. I’m on medical treatment.”
Cris Cyborg was recently offered a fight for the first-ever UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship at the UFC 208 pay-per-view, the first-ever UFC event in Brooklyn, New York. Cyborg ended up turning down the fight due to her claims that she either couldn’t, or wouldn’t make the 145-pound weight limit in time for the February event.
In addition to the above comments from Cyborg, her boyfriend, Ray Elbe, wrote the following on The Underground forum, claiming the drug she tested positive for this week was not a steroid.
“Not for a steroid, and she has a prescription as part of the post fight therapy she’s been receiving due to the severe weight cut.
“This has been known for a few days, and Cris doctor has been in direct contact with USADA turning over all the necessary patient files to document the reasons Cris needs the medication.”
Tuesday was, if nothing else, a day of mixed emotions for Cristiane Cyborg Justino. During the afternoon, she experienced the high of gaining United States citizenship in a ceremony held in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles. A few hours later, that was followed by the low of the announcement that the inaugural UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship fight at UFC 208 will not involve her, instead pitting Holly Holm against Germaine de Randamie.
Unsurprisingly, she’s not exactly thrilled, as she told MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz. While she’s “happy the UFC created my division” after “11 years [that] I’m fighting for women to have the same rights as men with several divisions,” her happiness with the development ends there. “Everybody knows I’m the featherweight champion. “I’m undefeated for 10 years in my division. They put this belt only to sell the fight for the new MMA fans. For an example, Holly is coming off two consecutive losses and will fight for the belt. The real fight fans know what’s real.”
When asked if she is optimistic about fighting the Holm-de Randamie, Justino wasn’t getting her hopes up. “I have no idea, there are no rules in MMA,” she said. “The last fight in the men’s 145-pound division, a 10-0 fighter fought a guy who was 1-5 in his last fights. Other fighters like me have to wait for a title fight. I’m fighting for my division for 10 years, and until yesterday Dana said there were no women. This is our reality.”
Justino had been offered fights with both fighters on the same card, citing the need for a longer camp the make the weight properly after her last cut, to 140 pounds, caused health problems. Realistically speaking, Holm pretty much turned down the fight, as she would only agree to a bout at 138 pounds, even lower than the 140 pound mark Cyborg is no longer willing to cut to. Germaine de Randamie, however, was fully on board for a 145 pound title fight with Cyborg.
Cyborg is still technically the Invicta FC Featherweight Champion, and was not defending the title as of late while the promotion attempted to build new challengers. She had been competing in Invicta while under UFC contract, with the latter covering her fight purses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcj64LDGrhc
Tuesday was, if nothing else, a day of mixed emotions for Cristiane Cyborg Justino. During the afternoon, she experienced the high of gaining United States citizenship in a ceremony held in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles. A few hours later, that was followed by the low of the announcement that the inaugural UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship fight at UFC 208 will not involve her, instead pitting Holly Holm against Germaine de Randamie.
Unsurprisingly, she’s not exactly thrilled, as she told MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz. While she’s “happy the UFC created my division” after “11 years [that] I’m fighting for women to have the same rights as men with several divisions,” her happiness with the development ends there. “Everybody knows I’m the featherweight champion. “I’m undefeated for 10 years in my division. They put this belt only to sell the fight for the new MMA fans. For an example, Holly is coming off two consecutive losses and will fight for the belt. The real fight fans know what’s real.”
When asked if she is optimistic about fighting the Holm-de Randamie, Justino wasn’t getting her hopes up. “I have no idea, there are no rules in MMA,” she said. “The last fight in the men’s 145-pound division, a 10-0 fighter fought a guy who was 1-5 in his last fights. Other fighters like me have to wait for a title fight. I’m fighting for my division for 10 years, and until yesterday Dana said there were no women. This is our reality.”
Justino had been offered fights with both fighters on the same card, citing the need for a longer camp the make the weight properly after her last cut, to 140 pounds, caused health problems. Realistically speaking, Holm pretty much turned down the fight, as she would only agree to a bout at 138 pounds, even lower than the 140 pound mark Cyborg is no longer willing to cut to. Germaine de Randamie, however, was fully on board for a 145 pound title fight with Cyborg.
Cyborg is still technically the Invicta FC Featherweight Champion, and was not defending the title as of late while the promotion attempted to build new challengers. She had been competing in Invicta while under UFC contract, with the latter covering her fight purses.
This is the type of nice story we don’t get to cover every day. According to an Associated Press report, 31-year-old Brazilian Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is now an American citizen, taking the oath of citizenship today during a ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In the process, the UFC fighter and Invicta FC Featherweight champion has now taken on Cyborgas her her middle name, legally making her Cristiane Cyborg Justino.
“It’s an opportunity for me [to] give back for the American community what they give to me. I can vote. I can participate more,” she said to the AP. “The first time I went to America, I had the opportunity to fight here and people really appreciate my work and appreciate my sport.”
Justino has lived in southern California for the past several years after her split from ex-husband Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, who originally gave her the nickname. Mr. Cyborg, who is currently under contract to Bellator, is currently out of action due to a fractured skull sustained in his loss to Michael “Venom” Page. As far as anyone can tell, they are still on good terms, as Cris was very publicly trying to help Evangelista out when he got hurt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5QDryuUQKo
This is the type of nice story we don’t get to cover every day. According to an Associated Press report, 31-year-old Brazilian Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is now an American citizen, taking the oath of citizenship today during a ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In the process, the UFC fighter and Invicta FC Featherweight champion has now taken on Cyborgas her her middle name, legally making her Cristiane Cyborg Justino.
“It’s an opportunity for me [to] give back for the American community what they give to me. I can vote. I can participate more,” she said to the AP. “The first time I went to America, I had the opportunity to fight here and people really appreciate my work and appreciate my sport.”
Justino has lived in southern California for the past several years after her split from ex-husband Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, who originally gave her the nickname. Mr. Cyborg, who is currently under contract to Bellator, is currently out of action due to a fractured skull sustained in his loss to Michael “Venom” Page. As far as anyone can tell, they are still on good terms, as Cris was very publicly trying to help Evangelista out when he got hurt.
Following her second straight knockout win to begin her UFC career, there has been much uncertainty about at what weight class – and whom – Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino will fight next in the Octagon. The fearsome Brazilian star infamously puts her body through insane weight cuts to even make a catchweight
Following her second straight knockout win to begin her UFC career, there has been much uncertainty about at what weight class – and whom – Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino will fight next in the Octagon.
The fearsome Brazilian star infamously puts her body through insane weight cuts to even make a catchweight of 140 pounds, and her last cut before facing Lina Lansberg in October was well documented as being especially taxing, even to the point of threatening her health.
That’s why Cyborg suggested the UFC create a 145-pound division for her, and in a bit of a shocking revelation on the UFC Unfiltered podcast (via MMA Fighting), UFC President Dana White said that’s just what the promotion wanted to do on more than a single occasion. Yet despite issuing the UFC an ultimatum, Justino wouldn’t take the two fights she was offered because she couldn’t make weight:
“What’s crazy about that is this: I offered Cris Cyborg a title fight at 145 pounds a month ago. She had eight weeks to get ready for it, she said she couldn’t make the weight, said she couldn’t make 145 pounds.
“So then I offered her another 145-pound title fight for Brooklyn (UFC 208), she turned it down. She turned down two 145-pound title fights. One because she said she couldn’t make 145 pounds in eight weeks, and Joe Silva’s like, ‘If she can’t make 145 pounds in eight weeks, 145 isn’t the right weight class for her either.’”
Apparently Cyborg was offered former bantamweight champion Holly Holm for the main event of UFC 208, an event that was eventually canceled due to a lack of a suitable headlining fight, and dangerous striking veteran Germaine de Randamie. Both would be explosive stand-up-based fights, but White expressed his frustration at Justino’s continued issues with making weight when she originally signed with the promotion to face former champ Ronda Rousey at 135 pounds:
“First of all, obviously when we did the deal with Cyborg we sat down with her and said, ‘Listen, if you can make it down to 135 pounds, maybe we can hire you a dietitian and help you get there or whatever, and get you in the mix, get you a couple of with these girls and then fight Ronda (Rousey) for the title,’ and she was all in,” White said. “That’s why she signed the deal. Then she was having a hard time doing it, so she cut down to 140, then this whole thing about, ‘I can’t make 140 pounds.’ Finally, we just said, ‘Fuck it, alright then, we’ll make a 145-pound title for you,’ and here we go. She said, ‘I can’t make 145 pounds in eight weeks.’
“This doesn’t have to do with weight. Obviously it has nothing to do with weight cutting. I don’t know what it has to do with, so we’re gonna figure it out.”
But Cyborg vs. Holm just wasn’t meant to be, because White revealed Holm’s longtime coach Mike Winkeljohn had made her turn it down:
“And just for the record, Holly was so excited, Holly was so excited for that fight,” White said. “Her coach, [Mike] Winkeljohn, said, ‘That’s not the right fight for Holly.’ So Holly had to turn it down, so we went for Germaine, and Germaine wants the fight.”
As the Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves fight was going down inside the Octagon during the UFC 205 event on Saturday evening, Dana White was busy recording a Q&A video which featured the UFC President fielding questions from fans via social media on a wide-variety of topics.
Featured above is the complete video archive, which includes White addressing such topics as CM Punk’s UFC status, the Georges St-Pierre return rumors, Ronda Rousey’s comeback and if a fight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is still a possibility now that he has announced that she is winding down her MMA career, when Anderson Silva will fight next, Jon Jones’ future, the possibility of a rubber match between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz and more.
It’s worth noting that after answering such a wide variety of questions, many of which he gave brief answers to, things ended up getting to where White was silent staring at a phone fielding through questions such as, “why are you such a b*tch,” as well as reading comments about looking overweight on the live feed that was streaming online showing the above video as it was being recorded.
https://youtu.be/x7ZI74BWZ6Q
As the Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves fight was going down inside the Octagon during the UFC 205 event on Saturday evening, Dana White was busy recording a Q&A video which featured the UFC President fielding questions from fans via social media on a wide-variety of topics.
Featured above is the complete video archive, which includes White addressing such topics as CM Punk’s UFC status, the Georges St-Pierre return rumors, Ronda Rousey’s comeback and if a fight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is still a possibility now that he has announced that she is winding down her MMA career, when Anderson Silva will fight next, Jon Jones’ future, the possibility of a rubber match between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz and more.
It’s worth noting that after answering such a wide variety of questions, many of which he gave brief answers to, things ended up getting to where White was silent staring at a phone fielding through questions such as, “why are you such a b*tch,” as well as reading comments about looking overweight on the live feed that was streaming online showing the above video as it was being recorded.
Invicta FC featherweight champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable names in the UFC after finally making her Octagon debut with two stoppages over Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg this year. Those two wins arguably put her in line for her long-rumored super fight with returning former women’s bantamweight champion
Invicta FC featherweight champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable names in the UFC after finally making her Octagon debut with two stoppages over Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg this year.
Those two wins arguably put her in line for her long-rumored super fight with returning former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, but ‘Rowdy’ was instead booked to face current UFC women’s 135-pound champ Amanda Nunes in the main event of December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas. Cyborg was understandably furious when the news was announced, posting a seething response on social media and still campaigning for the bout in very hard-charging fashion.
Justino believes she is owed the fight because of her impressive body of work, but while she may deserve a fight with Rousey, there are several mitigating factors that would strongly argue she certainly isn’t owed the oft-discussed super fight – even if it may just be the biggest MMA fight of all time if and when it does happen.
Let’s break down six of the main factors why Cyborg should forget about fighting Rousey – at least for now:
6.) The Weight Class Remains A Big Issue:
While many believe Rousey should simply meet Cyborg at a catchweight of 140 pounds to stop ‘ducking’ her, the reality is that even making 140 pounds is an extremely taxing prospect for Justino that’s undoubtedly threatening to her long-term health.
She’s fought at 145 pounds for the vast majority of her mixed martial arts career, and at times, struggled to even make that division’s limit while walking around at upwards of 175 pounds. Cyborg definitely rehydrates well and shows up to the cage several pounds heavier than the class limit, perhaps a big reason why many top 135-pound women have been hesitant to fight her.
Rousey and the UFC know this, and it’s not all that tough to understand why they would want ‘Rowdy’ to return to a title fight against the current 135-pound champ rather than one against a nearly unstoppable bulldozer who is much bigger than her. It’s completely fine that Cyborg wants to hold a significant size advantage over her opponents, and it would probably take at least a year if not more to lose the muscle necessary to meet them at 135 pounds. She’s not willing to do that, however.
That means she can’t expect fighters to meet her demands so she can be much larger than them when fight time is here.