Cris Cyborg believes fight fans will see an even more exciting bout at UFC 214 next month now that Tonya Evinger has replaced Megan Anderson.
Cyborg and Evinger will meet for the vacant UFC featherweight title in the co-main event. Anderson bowed out of the contest due to personal reasons.
In a statement sent to the Brazilian media source Combate, Cyborg proclaimed the change in opponent to be a good thing. Evinger is the current Invicta FC bantamweight champion and has won each of her last 10 fights overall.
“I’m always training to evolve technically with each fight,” she said. “I’m prepared to fight anyone. As for the change in opponent, we can say it’s the result of Megan’s and her manager’s irresponsibility. As for Tonya, she’s a great opponent. She’s been winning her past 10 fights and is an example of how the world rankings should be independent from the UFC’s rankings.
“Tonya is a top-10 bantamweight and certainly deserves to be in a big platform. It will be a great fight and I believe that, with Tonya, it will be an even more exciting fight for the fans than the fight with Megan. The focus and the plan remain the same: going for the belt.”
The change also impacted the upcoming Invicta FC 24 event, as Evinger was to fight Helena Kolesnyk in the main event. That July 15 card will now be headlined by Milana Dudieva vs. Mara Romero Borella.
