Cris Cyborg, the first Grand Slam Champion in mixed martial arts history, sat down with former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo to discuss multiple potential match-ups waiting for the general consensus GOAT of women’s MMA.
With nearly two decades of excellence under her belt, Cris Cyborg has seen it all and practically done it all in the world of combat sports. As the reigning Bellator women’s featherweight champion, Cyborg etched her name in history books, holding titles in four major American promotions including the UFC, Invicta FC, and the now-defunct Strikeforce. Still competing at the highest level, Cyborg is always looking for the next big fight inside the cage.
Speaking with Henry Cejudo, Cyborg discussed the possibility of a rematch with the only woman to defeat her since 2005, Amanda Nunes. She also spoke about a long-rumored clash with two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison.
“If Amanda Nunes gets out of the UFC, the rematch can happen. If she’s going to continue in UFC, it’s hard to happen. UFC don’t like to pay the fighters. Kayla Harrison wins in [the] same division, but I believe if fans would like to see this fight. We’re in different organizations. If it were to happen from a co-promotion [between Bellator and PFL], why can’t this fight happen? It can happen. Like Bellator doing RIZIN now. Fighters gonna go fight at the end of the year there in Japan.”
On New Year’s Eve, the stars of Bellator will head to the land of the rising sun to battle it out with the stars of RIZIN FC. Scheduled to represent Bellator are featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, AJ McKee, Juan Archuleta, and Kyoji Horiguchi.
Tomorrow on my YouTube @criscyborg #ChampsOnly 🐐x🐐 pic.twitter.com/wtqYz0mtqG
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) October 30, 2022
Cris Cyborg Responds to Katie Taylor’s Callout
Undefeated lightweight champion Katie Taylor recently spoke about a potential clash with MMA legend Cris Cyborg inside the squared circle. Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, the Olympic gold medalist expressed a willingness to take on Cyborg should fans decide that is the fight they wish to see.
“I think she had a fight a few weeks ago, she was getting a bit of boxing experience under her belt I guess,” Taylor said. “She is an MMA legend, she’s a lot bigger and heavier than me as well so that makes for an interesting fight. I would be willing to step into the ring with her if that’s the fight people are interested in so that could be a possibility.”
Cyborg responded to the call out by the undefeated undisputed champion, letting it be known that she is more than willing to step into the ring with Taylor.
“Everything you do, you want to be the best at what you do. I may start saying, ‘No early boxing,’ but if I have an opportunity to fight for the belt… Like Katie Taylor. She called me out yesterday. She fought, she won. Congratulations.
“She said if the fans want to watch this fight. If you want to watch this fight, I’m gonna be willing to do it. I feel wonderful having my name there. I just started boxing. I know I did a lot of things in MMA, but for me it’s a dream. I’m gonna work real hard. For sure it’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to do my best.”
In September, Cyborg made her boxing debut against former Brazilian national boxing champion Simone Aparecida da Silva at Fight Music Show 2, an event held in Cyborg’s hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. Cyborg scored a unanimous decision in a bout that attracted a reported 110,000 buys globally.
Katie Taylor recently improved to 22-0 in her professional boxing career, defeating Karen Carabajal on October 29th.
