Cris Cyborg women’s featherweight champion defended her title for the first time against former bantamweight champ Holly Holm at UFC 219 and won the fight via unanimous decision this past December.
Cyborg stated that she’d be willing to face bantamweight counterpart Amanda Nunes next, but would rather prefer someone worthy in her weight class. In fact, she wanted a match-up with Megan Anderson at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, in February.
Fighting Amanda Nunes isn’t Cyborg’s first option, but willing do it under the right circumstances. It just has to be at a mega-event that will highlight other big UFC stars that can pull in (PPV) buys.
Not that she doesn’t have faith in her drawing power but doesn’t believe Amanda Nunes has drawing power and citing her title fight against Valentina Schevchenko at UFC 215 was one of the worst performance in UFC last year.
“I want to fight her on a big event, big card,” Cyborg said on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). “Big card that can sell pay-per-views. Amanda, she did almost 100,000. She’s not changing my career at 145 or anything beating her, and she don’t sell pay-per-view. Okay, ‘superfight,’ she’s not [Conor] McGregor.”
Cris Cyborg doesn’t see Amanda Nunes as a legit contender for the 145-pound title given her dark performances in the past.
Amanda Nunes has a great bantamweight run in UFC, winning six straight fights, but cyborg says that Nunes, who fought at featherweight division early in her career, hasn’t done much in the division to deserve a title shot.
“I don’t think Amanda is a big draw,” Cyborg said. “One thing when I was world champ in Strikeforce, Amanda start training, start punching bag. They say [she was] supposed to fight 145, no. Amanda never could get close to fight for the belt at 145 in Strikeforce. Alex Davis beat her, TKO, Cat Zingano beat her. She’s had a lot of fights she’s supposed to do now, but, what has she done at 145?”
Cris Cyborg’s first choice is to defend her title against a worthy opponent at her weight division.
“I don’t have any problem fighting her,” Cyborg said. “But I want the UFC to invest in my division. I don’t want to only be the champ who only beat all the girls at 135. I don’t want to retire, and then I don’t see my division in the UFC because they say I don’t have the girls. I have my job, I make 140 catchweight now [featherweight]. I think I did a lot for my division. My division is my story. I owe it to my division. I can fight Amanda, I think Amanda can have that opportunity for sure, but continue somebody from 145, I think deserves the opportunity first to her.”
Cyborg prefers a mega UFC card with Amanda Nunes, If not, then she can fight anybody else and do the Nunes number with any opponent.
“They can call this fight a ‘superfight,’ Cyborg said. “You can fight anyone and make six numbers, you know? But okay, if [Dana White] likes to do a big event and big card, okay, let’s do July. Let’s do Las Vegas.”
Do you guys think this super fight should materialize?
