Tag: Rousey vs. Cyborg

Amanda Nunes: Ronda Rousey Gets Immediate Rematch After UFC 207

Not great news for Cris Cyborg or Julianna Peña… The UFC women’s bantamweight division gets the main event slot at UFC 207 on December 30, rounding out the year with a monstrous title fight. Returning after a year-long absence will be the pioneer of the division, Ronda Rousey, attempting to win back the belt from Amanda

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Not great news for Cris Cyborg or Julianna Peña…

The UFC women’s bantamweight division gets the main event slot at UFC 207 on December 30, rounding out the year with a monstrous title fight. Returning after a year-long absence will be the pioneer of the division, Ronda Rousey, attempting to win back the belt from Amanda Nunes. After Holly Holm planted Rousey in Australian soil at UFC 193, the belt switched hands again at UFC 196. Miesha Tate choked out Holm in epic fashion this past March 5, but the travelling of the w-135 gold was not done yet.

Facing ‘Cupcake’ in the UFC 200 main event, Nunes brought the belt to Brazilian surroundings with a first round decimation of Tate. Now set to fight arguably the most dominant female fighter ever, certainly in UFC history, ‘The Lioness’ faces a career-defining opponent in ‘Rowdy.’ Although she’s not blasting Rousey with both barrels, Nunes has been frank in her opinion of the former champion.

Immediate Rematch

Recently saying she felt Ronda Rousey was ‘mentally weak,’ Nunes has now changed the tide somewhat. As per MMAJunkie.com, the women’s bantamweight queen says she will grant Rousey an immediate rematch after UFC 207:

“Ronda Rousey has every right to fight for the belt. She was dominant for a long time in this division and also, Ronda was one of the biggest pay-per-views ever sold. There’s no way to even explain it – of course she has the right to fight for the belt. She only lost once, and took some time off to rest. If you look at it on the internet, everyone is waiting for Ronda Rousey to return.

“Today, the UFC has women’s MMA because Rousey managed to change (UFC President) Dana White’s mind and put it in the UFC. I think she has the right to fight for the belt – not only once, but twice. I’ll beat her and give her a rematch right after that if she wants.”

Ronda Rouseyn

Taking Advantage

Although Nunes clearly acknowledges the influence her opponent has on the sport, the Brazilian also points out multiple holes in Rousey’s game. ‘The Lioness’ feels that the longer the fight goes on, the more she’ll be able to take advantages of the mistakes Rousey will make:

“Ronda has all the holes,” Nunes said. “In her striking, in her ground game, and even her timing. The longer the fight goes, she loses her timing – and that’s where I grow. Every time she loses a position that she gets countered, through time her level drops. So all of this – I’m going to take advantage of that. I’m going to take advantage of all of her mistakes and try to finish the fight as soon as possible.”

Referring to Nunes’ previous comments on an immediate rematch, Cris Cyborg and Julianna Peña will likely be very upset if this happens. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ stated she’s considering leaving the UFC over the decision to give Rousey an immediate title shot. After years of feuding with ‘Rowdy,’ Cyborg was typically furious when the UFC 207 main event was announced. Showing many similarities to the situation with Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez, and the fallout with ‘The Eagle’ and Jose Aldo, is this a sure sign of things to come?

Perhaps this trend is just temporary, if not, get ready for a crazy year in 2017.

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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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Pics: Ronda Rousey Looking In Fight Shape Again

After 11 months on the sidelines, Ronda Rousey is heavily rumoured to return to the UFC octagon before 2016’s end. Losing the women’s bantamweight title to Holly Holm in a huge upset at UFC 193 sent ‘Rowdy’ to a very dark place. Having been so dominant during her reign atop the division, Rousey took the

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After 11 months on the sidelines, Ronda Rousey is heavily rumoured to return to the UFC octagon before 2016’s end. Losing the women’s bantamweight title to Holly Holm in a huge upset at UFC 193 sent ‘Rowdy’ to a very dark place. Having been so dominant during her reign atop the division, Rousey took the knockout loss to heart. After the dust had settled on her crushing loss, Rousey emerged in 2016 with some worrying stories, claiming she’d even considered suicide. The question of when she’d return to fighting is yet to be answered.

Further speculations about Rousey falling pregnant were shot down, and the fallen champ began making media appearances again. Guest spots on the Ellen show and Saturday Night Live were contrasting, as the fight game moved on without ‘Rowdy.’ The belt changed hands twice since Rousey lost to Holm, and currently resides with Amanda Nunes since UFC 200. Nunes stated yesterday she’d only fight Ronda Rousey in her first title defense-nobody else will do.

This new image of Ronda Rousey taken yesterday could add more fuel to the rumours of her UFC (207?) comeback:

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Fight Shape

This is certainly the best shape we’ve seen Rousey in since she last competed. The questions about her training still remain though. Clearly still working out of Edmond Tarverdyan’s Glendale camp, will ‘Rowdy’ have addressed the issues with her striking? If not, history may be destined to repeat itself, especially if Rousey fights Cris Cyborg.

Recently auctioning off her Strikeforce memorabilia, Ronda Rousey posted this photo to her Instagram page, once again looking a lot leaner than we’ve seen in the last 11 months:

The Who and When

Obviously a title fight would be first choice in most fans’ opinions, but what about that long standing rivalry with Cyborg? The Brazilian knockout artist has stepped up her trash talking game lately, and it’s all been aimed at ‘Rowdy.’ The battle with Cyborg is undoubtedly the most dangerous, but also the one we’ve all been dying for years to see. UFC 207, or maybe 208?

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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.

RoganRouseyInterview

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.

Rousey

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:

cris cyborg

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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Cris Cyborg Says Ronda Rousey Sends Bad Message By Quitting

Invicta FC featherweight champion and current UFC catchweight competitor Cristiane Justino is in a weird place right now. After finally debuting for the UFC in Brazil this past May, Cyborg has found a new opponent that’s far more dangerous than any woman alive. The Brazilian knockout artist is somewhat being backed in to a corner

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Invicta FC featherweight champion and current UFC catchweight competitor Cristiane Justino is in a weird place right now. After finally debuting for the UFC in Brazil this past May, Cyborg has found a new opponent that’s far more dangerous than any woman alive. The Brazilian knockout artist is somewhat being backed in to a corner by issues with weight cutting. Her horrific cuts to 140 pounds are clearly very dangerous. The UFC is not interested in making a women’s featherweight division, so Cyborg is left with little choice.

Unable to make the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds means Justino has missed out on a career-making rivalry. When Ronda Rousey was the champion of the division, she and Cyborg shared a nasty feud. ‘Rowdy’ and even UFC president Dana White would share some rather spiteful jokes about Cyborg’s appearance, once even claiming the Brazilian looked like ‘Wanderlei Silva in a dress.’

Cyborg Weight Cut

UFC 198

Cyborg looked insanely good against Leslie Smith at UFC 198, but the same could not be said for her pre-fight weight cut. After winning by first round TKO, Justino once again blasted Ronda Rousey. According to Cyborg, Rousey was a scared little girl in a woman’s game. Speaking with TMZ yesterday, it appears Cris Cyborg has somewhat lightened her tone on the ex-champion. She still believes Rousey is a bad role model, but at the same time sounds more encouraging when discussing a possible fight with her nemesis.
“I don’t think it’s a good example to set for kids, that you should quit when you lose. Life is hard, bad things happen to everyone, you can’t just quit. You have to use it to make you stronger.”

The opportunity to fight against Rousey has been close at times. Following a massively rumoured UFC debut in 2015, negotiations seemed to fall apart due to weight related issues again. Rousey would go on to face Holly Holm at UFC 193, and the result in Melbourne would change everything. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ beat the daylights out of ‘Rowdy,’ and two more champions would follow in Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes.

With the division seemingly wide open, Dana White hinted this week that Rousey vs. Nunes is likely before this year is up. Will the long-fabled fight between Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey ever happen? Once again it depends on whether ‘Rowdy’ is willing to move up, because Cyborg can’t go down any further.

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