Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino may well be the most feared woman on the planet. In fact, you can make the solid argument she is the best fighter in the world – male or female – outside of the UFC.
The Brazilian slugger continued her utter dominance of Invicta FC on Saturday after she knocked out Daria Ibragimova at 4:58 of the first round. It was her third straight first-round KO and provided further evidence that the featherweight division has been well and truly smoked.
She hasn’t tasted defeat in 10 years. She hasn’t even been taken to a decision since 2008 and the 145lbs division is now scorched-earth. There’s nowhere left to go. So it begs the question, how long can she remain outside the boundaries of the UFC? There was a time when Cyborg formed part of one of the biggest fantasy bouts in mixed martial arts. If she could make the cut down to 135lbs, the match-up on everyone’s lips was with then UFC-champion Ronda Rousey.
Here's my #InvictaFC15 post-fight intv w @criscyborg: https://t.co/41BzCOSo9h We talk single leg attempts, possible Holm + Rousey fights.
— Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) January 17, 2016Given Cyborg’s contract is with the promotion’s parent organisation Zuffa, a UFC debut has always been touted. The only problem? The Brazilian’s walk-around weight is in the region of 170lbs and she doesn’t believe making the cut is a viable option. With Rousey’s stunning defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193, the desire to drop that weight became even less pressing. But that could be about to change.
With UFC president Dana White confirming last week that Rousey’s acting commitments could see her remain away from the Octagon until later in the year, it opens up a hole for July’s UFC 200.
“The filming of the movie got pushed back,” White said. “She could do both, but the question is, should she do both? She could do both, but why should she? The filming is in a time frame where she’d finish before 200, but it would be cutting it too close.”
Holm will be in need of a megafight worthy enough of making it onto what could be the promotion’s biggest ever card. Cyborg represents exactly that. Of course, the bantamweight queen has the tall order of Miesha Tate to deal with at March 5’s UFC 197 first but come through that and it opens up the enticing proposition.
While Rousey was dubious of the Invicta champion making the cut, Holm hasn’t put as much stock into what Cyborg does. And she isn’t particularly picky about the weight-class difference either having fought at 154lbs, 145lbs and 138lbs as a boxer.
Right now, Cyborg is in limbo. She is a fighter with the potential to headline pay-per-views but without the competition at Invicta to give her that platform. And she knows it.
“Of course, I want to be a UFC fighter, but I fight in Invicta, because they have my division,” Cyborg said after demolishing Ibragimova.
She added: “I hope to fight her (Holm), of course because It would be an amazing fight, two strikers.”
The 135lbs cut is an issue but a catch-weight 140lbs superfight with Holm, now that’s a possibility. For now, the dream of Cyborg stepping into the Octagon remains exactly that but if she continues her unstoppable form, the appetite for her to meet Holm will become ravenous.
