Cris Cyborg, women’s featherweight champion of the world made a rather bizarre statement during a recent appearance on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
Since the UFC announced their plan to establish a women’s 145lb weight-class for their roster but despite the fact that the champ Cris Cyborg succeeded to bring in some pretty decent numbers at UFC 219 after beating former champ Holly Holm, it really does seem as though the division is doomed to failure.
The question remains, “what’s next?” while talk of potential super-fight with current UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was rampant in the aftermath of UFC 219 showdown. UFC President, Dana White, have openly shared the openness to the huge bout but Cyborg is looking at taking a different step first.
However, the problem with the absolute dominance that Cyborg has been able to impose on essentially all of her opponents in recent times is that it has been getting more difficult to find worthy opponents to take her on – something that often drives to physically-outmatched bantamweights getting the call.
In reality, it’s not her fault that the hole between her and the rest of those around her weight is so large but following UFC brass Dana White’s rather public disinterest in the division and its prospects. Cyborg announced that she intends on leaving the UFC after her contract will over so she can make a move to Bellator MMA, where she feels proper attention is being awarded to the featherweight division.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on recent episode of MMA Hour.
“The belt, 145 pounds, one year they have the belt. But you don’t see any girls fighting at 145 pounds in the division. Just to see girls fight for the belt, 145. They know I want to do this for me, they say ‘we don’t have the girls.’ They have girls. Bellator is signing girls 145 pounds every week.
Every week girls are going to sign with Bellator. Bellator make my division very strong. Going to be big division, my division, in Bellator. This make me sad because I’m in the UFC, but I don’t have all the girls to fight. I can do superfight, but my goal is to make the division grow. I have three fights left, and then I’m going to be where I have to be.”
She also stated this on the Split Decision MMA Podcast.
“If you think about it, I’ve has my belt for 145 for like 1 year. They don’t sign any girl 145, they don’t put any girl fights (in my division) on the undercard…They don’t sign any girls 145. How you gonna grow the division if you don’t sign anybody? When Dana White say ahh we don’t have girls for the division. It just sounds crazy to me.Every week I see Bellator sign new girls at 145. They make division for me in Bellator. If I finish this contract, for me to be the real champ at 145 I have to go to Bellator and fight all the girls there.”
It wasnt that big of a surprise that Cris Cyborg would want to go to Bellator who actually has a 145 lb weight division when compared to the UFC.
Do you think Cris Cyborg made a right decision to leave the UFC after the contract is over?
