Cris Cyborg Doesn’t Care To Know Why Dana White Dislikes Her
Cris Cyborg never had a good relationship with the UFC. However, she has no interest in knowing why her and Dana White does not like her, and is happy to be out of the organization.
In the minds of many, Cyborg is one of, if not the, greatest female fighter of all time. For many years she was as feared as anyone, with a highlight reel of brutal finishes to back that up. This ferocity has led her to titles in almost every major promotion: the UFC, Invicta, Strikeforce, and now most recently in Bellator.
Despite this immense amount of success, Cris Cyborg never quite got the amount of respect she should have, while in the UFC. Upon first being signed to the UFC she was forced to cut to a 140lb catchweight, despite it being super unhealthy for her, all the while getting bashed by Dana. Then the UFC finally got around to (somewhat) creating a Featherweight division, only to not let her fight for the title, because she needed a little longer to heal from those brutal weight cuts. Even towards the end of her UFC tenure, Dana White would constantly blast her in the media.
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Despite this, Cyborg does not regret coming to the UFC. Speaking in an exclusive interview with MiddleEasy, she explained that she knew that she didn’t have Dana White’s respect before she even signed to the promotion. However it was her hope to eventually win over him, and the mainstream fans, even if that did not necessarily work out.
“Before I went to the UFC, Dana White did not respect me,” Cris said. “My fans put me (in the UFC). I think, with everything I did outside the UFC, before I went to the UFC I was already Cyborg. Everyone already knew me, everyone in the world knew who I am. I got the opportunity to fight in the UFC after this, but still they had problems.
“I always thought things were going to change. You know, maybe one day, if people met me in person, I thought that would change (their minds). But it didn’t change. I’m still doing my job,” Cyborg continued. “I fought before they had my division in the UFC. I fought at catchweight, and I had a lot of struggles but (support from my fans) made me keep going.”
Cris Cyborg "the greatest female fighter of all time" doesn't care to know why Dana White dislikes her… @danawhite @criscyborg #UFC #danawhite #mma pic.twitter.com/YZYXGU2XVS
— MiddleEasy (@MiddleEasy) May 3, 2020
That being said, Cris Cyborg is still happy to be out of the UFC. She made her debut in Bellator earlier this year, winning their featherweight title against Julia Budd. This is not the first time she worked with former Strikeforce owner Scott Coker, and she feels like he gives her much more respect.
“I don’t know (where things went wrong with Dana White), and I don’t have to know,” Cyborg explained. “I’m glad I worked with him, but it’s just business, you know? If he doesn’t like me personally or whatever, I’m not the first and I’m not the last one he’s had problems with. I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with this everyday anymore.
“(Scott Coker) treats his fighters different. You never see Scott blame any fighters online, or his team. You never see Bellator do that, because they know they need us for the events. The fighters make the events happen, and that deserves respect.”
All in all, it is good to see Cris Cyborg find a place where she is happy fighting, and getting proper respect. Bellator, and Scott Coker seem to be a good fit for this legendary fighter. You can watch the video of our interview below, and be sure to follow her Instagram!
