Cris Cyborg has the attitude that her biggest and most important fight is the one standing before her.
Cyborg will defend her UFC female featherweight title next Saturday night at UFC 219 vs. Holly Holm.
Holm, an ex-UFC bantamweight champion, claimed that belt in 2015 when she knocked out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. Heading into that bout, most believed a fight between Cyborg and Rousey would be made once Rousey took care of Holm.
That didn’t happen as planned, and Cyborg believes it was because Rousey was looking towards her and not at Holm.
“I think when Ronda fought Holly, everyone said after she beats Holly, you’re going to fight Cyborg,” she said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “She doesn’t think about Holly first. She already think about to accept fight with me. I think you have to think about each fight, you cannot think about already beating someone you haven’t fight yet. I think everyone was speaking of it before it happened.
“I was prepared to fight Ronda. I was prepared for that. And then before the fight, a couple minutes before, I go in the restroom by myself and I bow down on my knee and I pray, and I said God knows I want to fight Ronda, but I leave it in your hands. Who is going win the fight (is up to) you, if Ronda, Ronda lose, if Holly lose, Holly lose, but I know its in your hands.”
Cyborg won the vacant title when she stopped Tonya Evinger earlier this year, improving to 3-0 inside the Octagon. Holm halted her three-fight losing skid that followed the Rousey win with a knockout of Bethe Correia.
