Tag: Cyborg vs. Rousey

Miesha Tate: I Have Nothing To Lose In Fight With Cyborg

After years of feuding with Ronda Rousey, many fans thought Cris Cyborg would finally get her wish this year. One of the biggest hurdles in the potential Rousey vs. Cyborg equation was crossed when Cyborg joined the promotion, her debut was at UFC 198. Crushing Leslie Smith in Brazil with a first round TKO, Justino

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After years of feuding with Ronda Rousey, many fans thought Cris Cyborg would finally get her wish this year. One of the biggest hurdles in the potential Rousey vs. Cyborg equation was crossed when Cyborg joined the promotion, her debut was at UFC 198. Crushing Leslie Smith in Brazil with a first round TKO, Justino had arrived in the UFC with a bang. Coming some six months after Rousey lost the belt to Holly Holm at UFC 193, Cyborg’s debut win came when ‘Rowdy’ still had no timeline for a return. Next facing and destroying Lina Lansberg in late September, the Brazilian reiterated her desire to fight Rousey.

Able to barely make the 140-pound limit means Cyborg has no division in the UFC. Bantamweight is too far down, and the promotion is not interested in a women’s featherweight category. When Ronda Rousey’s comeback was announced for UFC 207, Cyborg’s reaction was furious. Blasting the UFC for ‘protecting’ Rousey, Justino vented her displeasure for everyone to see. The Invicta FC 145-pound boss says she’s sick and tired of being avoided, pointing out that all the great fighters eventually move up in weight.

Cris Cyborg

Cyborg vs. Tate?

UFC president Dana White promised the long-awaited fight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg would eventually happen, but at this stage few fans have any hope left. In step Miesha Tate, who again says she would be willing to take on Cyborg. Before being scheduled to face Raquel Pennington at UFC 205, the former champion ‘Cupcake’ tells MMAFighting.com that she’d have ‘nothing to lose’ against Justino:

“When I was the champ, they told me that they would not … do a catchweight, so either she has to meet you at 135 or you have to not be the champion. So now that I’m not the champion, I technically could fight her at 140. I wouldn’t be against it. The thing is, I just feel like I have nothing to lose in that.”

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“Is Ronda Still Punch-Shy?”

Moving on to the subject of Ronda Rousey, as quoted by Mike Drahota, Miesha Tate makes her prediction for UFC 207. Having fought ‘Rowdy’ once in Strikeforce and once in the UFC, ‘Cupcake’ is in a well qualified position in comparison to most in making an assessment. She feels a top form Rousey defeats current champ Amanda Nunes, but also questions how the ex-champ will have recovered:

“If we’re getting Ronda at the best she’s ever been, then I say Ronda,” she said. “But if we’re getting Ronda coming back kind of with a half-ass mentality, kind of like I have to do this one time and she’s got a lot of ring rust – I mean, is she still punch-shy since Holly?”

“Amanda has incredible power in her right hand. So, if she hits Ronda with one of those, I can see it being a huge problem for Ronda, a big, big problem.”

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“It’s Hard To Say”

“It’s kind of hard to say honestly (who will win). I really just don’t know what we’re going to get with Ronda. I know what we’re going to get with Amanda. I just have no idea what we’re going to get with Ronda,”

“A long layoff can definitely have some adverse effects on coming back and getting right back in there with the best of the best. I guess we’ll kind of see how it all plays out.”

The women’s bantamweight division continues to be a big focus point for the UFC. With the promotion’s 135-pound pioneer set to come back at year’s end, this ship could head in a number of directions. Will Rousey reclaim the title, or is Nunes destined to send the former queen back to inactivity? Amid all this, Cyborg is floating at 140 pounds, but ‘Cupcake’ is willing to take the trip.

Stay tuned.

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Cris Cyborg: Ronda Rousey Has No Balls, I Would Kill Her

Two pioneers of women’s MMA, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey, have been feuding for years. Both are former Strikeforce champions, and now both compete in the UFC, but numerous bumps in the road have prevented their paths from crossing. Apparently the main issue has been about weight, although Cyborg points out Rousey has fought at

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Two pioneers of women’s MMA, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey, have been feuding for years. Both are former Strikeforce champions, and now both compete in the UFC, but numerous bumps in the road have prevented their paths from crossing. Apparently the main issue has been about weight, although Cyborg points out Rousey has fought at 145 pounds, the Brazilian is unable to make the bantamweight limit. When ‘Rowdy’ held the belt she was not willing to go above her division, all this was after the former champ and Dana White wanted proof that Cyborg was clean.

Now, 11 clean USADA tests later and Rousey having lost her title, the fight is still not happening. Following the big announcement of Rousey’s comeback and immediate title shot, her Brazilian rival has reverted back to her old ways. Taking out her frustrations over social media in the last week, Justino has once again accused Rousey of ducking her. Whichever side of the fence you land on, it’s a consistently frustrating situation. Giving fight fans memories of the long and drawn out beef between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, hopes are that Rousey/Cyborg happens before too long.

Cris Cyborg

“She has no balls…”

Clearly still irate that Rousey hasn’t faced the music and accepted a fight with her, Cyborg tells TMZ she would ‘kill’ Rousey. As quoted by Bloody Elbow.

TMZ: “Is Ronda Rousey scared of you? Is that why she will not take the fight with you?”

Cyborg: “Of course. She knows I (would) kill her. Same thing that happen(ed) with Holly Holm and her will be worse with me. She know(s) this. She know(s) this. She don’t fight for the belt [the] first time. They gave her the belt and she’s fight(ing in the) UFC, the big promotion.”

“Same way you talk to guys, you have to have the balls. She speak a lot of things about me… and why she don’t go in (the) octagon with me, fight with me? Man, she don’t have (the balls). She don’t have. She don’t have.

And I know – girls, of course she no have (balls)… but when you speak about someone, you have to go, ‘No, f**k that. I’m gonna fight her. Let’s go in the octagon, make this fight happen.’”

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Dana’s Promise

UFC president Dana White has assured fans that Cyborg vs. Rousey will happen in 2017. White also stated he felt the long-awaited showdown would shatter all pay-per-records. Will they, won’t they? The question just keeps getting asked, but it looks like only Cris Cyborg is trying to make this fight happen.

Remembering Rousey and White’s comments about Cyborg being an ‘it’ and a transsexual, perhaps the former w-135-pound champ has made her own bed here. Furthering the debate, would Rousey once again deny Cyborg’s requests if she beats Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December?

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Cris Cyborg Fires Back At Dana White Over Latest Comments

The UFC women’s bantamweight division took another twist this week. After 11 months out of action, former champion Ronda Rousey returns to an immediate title shot. Facing the current queen Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, ‘Rowdy’ will finally look to get past her brutal loss to Holly Holm. Following the crushing KO against ‘The Preacher’s

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The UFC women’s bantamweight division took another twist this week. After 11 months out of action, former champion Ronda Rousey returns to an immediate title shot. Facing the current queen Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, ‘Rowdy’ will finally look to get past her brutal loss to Holly Holm. Following the crushing KO against ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ at UFC 193, Rousey avoided the limelight for months. At times refusing to even talk about fighting, it was hard to see a path back to glory for the once dominant ruler.

Now that her comeback is set, Rousey is once again embroiled in some tense debates-Not so much regarding Nunes, but her old rival Cris Cyborg. The Brazilian knockout artist has scored two crushing knockouts since joining the UFC, co-incidentally during the period ‘Rowdy’ was absent. Having beefed with Rousey for many years already, a fight between the two would certainly be a massive draw.

Dana White’s Comments

UFC president Dana White ensured that a fight between Cyborg and Rousey would likely happen after UFC 207. This was in response to great criticism from the Invicta FC featherweight champ, who feels the UFC has favored Rousey in terms of promotion and ‘cherry picking’ her opponents. Responding during a recent interview, White said they hadn’t done anything with Rousey that hadn’t also been given to Cyborg in terms of promotion.

Clearly still angry, Cris Cyborg took to Twitter to point out some previous comments by Rousey and White:

Valid Points

Outside all the politics that have kept Cyborg from fighting against Rousey, there’s the infamous comments that even Joe Rogan was guilty of fuelling at one time. Hoping she’ll finally get a chance to settle this feud in the octagon, Cris Cyborg will at least have to wait until after UFC 207. Unfortunately for the Brazilian knockout artist, weight is still a major issue here. It’s not so much the fact she can’t make 135, it’s more that nobody wants to move up to 140 for the fight. If Rousey wins the bantamweight title against Nunes, we are essentially back to square one again.

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Cris Cyborg Posts Furious Response To Rousey vs. Nunes

The heavily reported fight between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and former queen Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 is expected to be finalized this week. After nearly a year on the sidelines, ‘Rowdy’ appears to be getting the fast track to a title fight, but not to everyone’s pleasure. In particular, long time rival Cris

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The heavily reported fight between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and former queen Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 is expected to be finalized this week. After nearly a year on the sidelines, ‘Rowdy’ appears to be getting the fast track to a title fight, but not to everyone’s pleasure. In particular, long time rival Cris Cyborg is very unhappy with this report. Following years of intense trash talk between the Brazilian Cyborg and Rousey, many expected a fight to finally come to fruition by 2017.

Ironically, Rousey losing the belt somewhat freed her to potentially move up in weight and face Cyborg. Even without a title, the fight with Justino would likely shatter all pay-per-view records. Cyborg vs. Rousey is becoming more and more like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao as the days go by. Sadly, much like the boxing equivalent, this mega rivalry may never lead to a fight while both are in their prime. Reactions to Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey have varied, but Cyborg’s furious response stands out above all the rest. As per her official Facebook page:

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Why my fight with Ronda Rousey might never happen.

I just arrived to Thailand for my first International Pink Belt Fitness By Cris Cyborg being held Phuket Top Team MMA Training Camp and it appears the internet is announcing Ronda Rousey Vs. Amanda Nunes for the UFC belt Dec. 30th.

The ridiculousness of Ronda getting a Title Shot after a loss and a year layoff just goes to support the story that she was created by the Media. More than any fighter who has ever existed, Ronda has benefited by company branding. She has benefited from the best interviews, the best sponsors, and the best fight promos and spotlights, but even with all of that marketing budget behind her, everyone has seen that she is not the best.

The best don’t lose like she did in Australia, and they certainly don’t take a year off after such a performance.

There is a reason Ronda isn’t facing Holly Holm. That reason isn’t the fact that Holly has gone 0-2 since their fight. The reason is that even Ronda, knows Holly is the better fighter. Styles make fights, and that is the same reason Ronda is never going to accept a fight against me. She knows my punches, size, and aggression are too much. That’s why she will demand I try to kill myself to make 135. She doesn’t want Cyborg to be Cyborg.

Continue below…

Cris Cyborg

I only went to 140lbs in an attempt to make the fight against Ronda Rousey.

For the past year I have put the entire 145lbs division of WMMA on Hold competing in Superfights. Unlike Conor Mcgregor my “superfights” have not been against big name opponents, and similar to Jose Aldo there are girls in my division like Megan Anderson, Cindy Dandois, Julia Budd, and Alexis Dufresene who are next in line for World Title shots.

I can not force someone to accept a fight against me. Ronda use to say it was about steroids, but I’ve proven myself a clean athletes and was the FIRST FIGHTER to test with USADA for MORE THAN 1 YEAR BEFORE fighting in the octagon.

Ronda never fought to win her UFC belt, she received it at a press conference and when she defended it she didn’t even face the number 1 contender. While she is the most popular fighter in the UFC according to some, numbers don’t lie, and her highest PPV was her loss against Holly Holm, and that isn’t even top 5 with the company.

I don’t need a fight with Ronda Rousey to make a million dollars. I don’t even need to make a million dollars to fight. Fans are going to watch me fight because they like my fighting style. Fans are going to watch me fight because what I bring to the cage is something they have never seen before. Over 1.3 million fans watched my last fight against an opponent making her debut. I can be as big of a star as any female fighter in this sport with the right marketing and promotional team behind me.

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Not Surprised

I’m disappointed Ronda didn’t accept my offer to fight superbowl weekend, but I am not surprised. She already turned down the opportunity to fight me at UFC 205 which has continued to open the door for Conor Mcgregor to continue growing into the biggest star the UFC has ever promoted, because he is willing to walk the walk, and she is afraid to back up the years of media bullying she’s done towards me.

Ronda has a very tough fight against Amanda Nunes. She will be facing a big brazilian girl who knows how to defend an Armbar, and is training at a facility with many World Champions who will have her ready for a 5 round fight. Amanda punches hard and has trained her entire career with the idea of beating Ronda. Unlike Holly Holm, if Ronda Rousey goes 0-2 I am not sure she will continue to fight. She is fighting to win a popularity contest and win back an image, not to prove anything to herself. She never wanted to give the fans this fight against me.

I am going to enjoy my holiday, and stop thinking about a fight against Ronda Rousey for awhile.

The #UFC knows I want to fight Ronda, Ronda knows I want to fight her, and the UFC knows the fans want to see this fight. It would break every UFC PPV record and as a promoter they want to put on the biggest fights for the fans.

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Not Even Going To Watch

 

If the fight against #RondaRousey never happens, the fans will know it is because the promotion was unable to make the fight, not because I was unwilling to lose the weight or because of some failed PED test half a decade ago. Ronda has chose the easy path her entire career, and that is not going to change.

People have shown Ronda is willing to fight others at 140 and has fought higher than 145. The weight is an excuse. I am from a team where legends like Wanderlia Silva, and Pele didn’t think twice about giving up weight to fight guys like Mark Hunt and Chuck Liddell.

Dec. 31st while everyone is watching Ronda fight for ‘Her belt’, despite not facing the girl who took it away, I am not even going to watch. I have plans to corner Gabi Garcia in the first ever OPEN WEIGHT RIZIN FF female challenge in Japan.

Ronda, if you really want to make the fight between us it is very simple, after the fight inside the cage all you have to do is say my name. Everyone knows that you are not going to do that because then I am going to be real. #Candyman

If you don’t want to make the fight, just keep doing what you are doing now, keep my name out your mouth and avoid the press. My next fight is not going to be decided on what ‘Ronda might’ want to do next.

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UFC 207 Matchmaker: Cris Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey

It’s the fight we’ve all been waiting a long time for. Cris Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey is one of those matches that’s been talked about for years, but has never quite reached an agreement. During Rousey’s reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champion, the subject of fighting Cyborg was hotly debated. Going much deeper than just

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It’s the fight we’ve all been waiting a long time for. Cris Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey is one of those matches that’s been talked about for years, but has never quite reached an agreement. During Rousey’s reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champion, the subject of fighting Cyborg was hotly debated. Going much deeper than just two elite WWMA stars colliding, the Rousey-Cyborg saga has seen many twists and turns. Before Rousey had even stepped foot in the Strikeforce cage, any cage for that matter, Cristiane Justino had won the promotion’s inaugural featherweight championship. Defeating one of the pioneers of women’s MMA, Gina Carano, Cyborg was crowned queen in 2009.

Finding her own stride in 2011, a fresh-faced former Olympic Judoka named Ronda Rousey progressed to 4-0 as a professional. Facing Miesha Tate in 2012, ‘Rowdy’ decided to drop from featherweight to bantamweight, winning the Strikeforce 135-pound title. Two months prior to Rousey’s first title win it was announced that Cyborg had tested positive for Stanozolol. This would prove to be one of many future barriers to the fight we were all dying to see.

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The Rivalry

Following one title defense against Julia Budd, Ronda Rousey crossed over to the UFC with a submission win over Liz Carmouche. In April 2013 Cristiane Justino had completed her one-year suspension, and returned to defeat Fiona Muxlow under the Invicta FC banner. Fighting once more in 2013, both Cyborg and ‘Rowdy’ scored pivotal career win. After a stint as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, Rousey and her old rival Miesha Tate collided in a rematch at UFC 168. With the spotlight firmly fixed on her, ‘Rowdy’ scored her eighth straight armbar victory.

‘Rousey’s’ Brazilian counterpart would claim the Invicta featherweight strap after punishing Marloes Coenen, also a rematch of their 2010 encounter. It was at this point that the Rousey vs. Cyborg train began gaining steam, and their rivalry became big news. Taking aim at Cyborg in a number of controversial rants, Rousey mocked the Brazilian over her failed drug test. Even UFC president Dana White joined in, as Justino’s character was well and truly put on blast.

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Continuation

Taking a break from MMA after her 2013 title win for Invicta FC, Cyborg returned to Muay Thai. Defeating Jennifer Colomb by TKO at Lion Fight 11, the Brazilian knockout artist fought for the welterweight title against seasoned Thai boxing veteran Jorina Baars. Justino lost by unanimous decision, but it was a very respectable performance against such a high level pure striker. Rousey had competed once during this period, a TKO victory over Sara McMann.

The rivalry continued between the two titans of WMMA, as weight now seemed to be the major issue. Appearing to lay down some ground rules, Dana White and Ronda Rousey demanded a clean drug test from Cris Cyborg, and the bantamweight champion refused to move out of her own weight class for the bout. Cyborg’s manager of the time, Tito Ortiz, believed his client could indeed make 135 pounds, and so the fight edged closer to reality. As we now know, there’s no way the Brazilian would ever make close to the bantamweight limit.

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Different Directions?

Although their careers had run strangely parallel, a shift in direction was coming. As anticipation for their long-awaited clash reached fever pitch, negotiations began falling apart. Ronda Rousey would close out 2014 with a KO win over Alexis Davis at UFC 175. ‘Rowdy’ was now the biggest draw in the UFC, and she used her time in the limelight to further slander Cyborg’s name. Fighting within 24 hours of each other, in the same city, Rousey and Justino each scored sub-minute wins in Los Angeles, California in February 2015.

Invicta FC had struck a deal with UFC Fight Pass, the promotion’s growing digital network. Cyborg would go on to wow the crowds with a crushing TKO against Faith Van Duin in 45 seconds. Just three weeks after, Rousey smashed Bethe Correia with a clean 34-second KO at UFC 190. The accolades came pouring in for the ever-popular Rousey, and rumours of a December clash with Cyborg spread like wildfire. There was certainly a monster fight set for that winter, but it would not involve Cyborg.

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The Holm Coming

Holly Holm smashed through the indestructible aura of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. In front of millions of viewers, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ toppled the bantamweight queen and ended her reign with a brutal KO. Oddly enough, this crazy moment could prove to be the catalyst of Cyborg vs. Rousey finally happening. The fallen champ has not fought again since that December night. Justino, however, crossed over to the UFC after one more Invicta title defense, and has squashed Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg so far in 2016.

Again, there’s the issue of weight, as the promotion is clearly not motivated to make a women’s featherweight division. Cyborg is forced to cut brutal amounts just to make the catchweight of 140 pounds, but herein lies a beautiful possibility. With no belt to cling to, Ronda Rousey would be free to jump up to 140 pounds in an attempt to settle the feud with Cris Cyborg.

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Weighting Game

With UFC 206 looking filled, there’s one big pay-per-view card left on the 2016 horizon. UFC 207 on December 30, and guess who’s rumoured to be returning by year’s end? Yep, former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Anyone else got a better idea for ‘Rowdy’s’ comeback fight than a clash with Cris Cyborg?

Two careers that have been following the same linear sequence for so long, have inspired so many debates over the years, should meet. Its meant to be.

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Cris Cyborg: Hey Ronda, Accept My Challenge, Or Are You Saving Face?

The heated rivalry between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg lives on. The former women’s bantamweight queen fell to earth with a bang at UFC 193. Dishing out the harsh realities of the game in Melbourne was vaunted striker Holly Holm. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ dominated ‘Rowdy’ in an upset performance of the year. Although she only

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The heated rivalry between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg lives on. The former women’s bantamweight queen fell to earth with a bang at UFC 193. Dishing out the harsh realities of the game in Melbourne was vaunted striker Holly Holm. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ dominated ‘Rowdy’ in an upset performance of the year. Although she only held the belt until her first defense against Miesha Tate, Holm left a mammoth left shin print in the MMA history books.

Now nearly a year removed from that historic PPV down under, everyone is talking about Cyborg. The Brazilian knockout artist is two fights deep in to her UFC career, but not without complications. Without a women’s featherweight division in sight, Cyborg is having to cut down to 140 pounds. The catchweight limit is proving to be a massive physical drain for Justino. That being said, she looks like a world beater in her UFC fights so far.

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Cyborg in the UFC

Cris Cyborg debuted at UFC 198 with a stunning TKO win over Leslie Smith. She advanced to 2-0 at UFC Brasilia on September 24, this time it was Muay Thai specialist Lina Lansberg getting smashed in two rounds. Since the fight Lansberg has stated she’s ‘never felt power’ like Justino’s. That’s quite a compliment coming from a Thai boxing champion. Then came the comments from her old rival Ronda Rousey.

‘Rowdy’ said she still wants to fight Cyborg ‘at some point,’ and the Brazilian responded with a much more specific challenge:

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Let’s Be Honest

In all honesty, this is the only fight that would make sense for either fighter right now. That might prove to be quite a challenged statement, but who really wants to see Rousey go for a title shot when we all know Cyborg is the biggest challenge? That’s absolutely no offense to Amanda Nunes or any of the other top bantamweights, but this fight has been eagerly anticipated for years.

Thoughts?

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