Not too many competitors are lining up to face Cris Cyborg.
In Cyborg’s mind, Germaine de Randamie is no different. “The Iron Lady” took on Holly Holm this past Saturday night (Feb. 11) at UFC 208. The two battled for the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s featherweight gold. The fight wasn’t without controversy, but de Randamie was awarded the championship by unanimous decision.
The bout was controversial for many reasons. The first being, de Randamie nailed Holm well after the horn sounded in both rounds two and three and was only issued a warning from referee Todd Anderson. Second, many analysts and fans actually scored the fight for Holm. Third, in her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, de Randamie mentioned a hand injury she claimed to have suffered two years ago once Cyborg’s name was mentioned.
All in all, UFC 208 was a bizarre night.
Speaking with Combate, Cyborg said she anticipated the winner of the women’s 145-pound title bout to find a way to avoid her:
“That was something (myself) and my team had already figured out that would happen. Whoever wins would say that she would retire or anything else that would keep her belt for as long as possible. We were prepared for it. As soon as they said I would be the next challenger, Germaine started talking about having to operate the hand. But that does not change anything. I am the world champion, it does not matter if I will fight for the belt.”
Right now, Cyborg has some issues to attend to with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). If she becomes free of that situation, she’ll undoubtedly be next in line for a shot at UFC gold. The question is, will the champion be ready?
Stick with MMANews.com for further developments on Cyborg’s fighting future as they become available.
