While the possibility of Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg II is out the window, Josh Thomson thinks a rematch would play out far differently.
Back in Dec. 2018, Nunes stunned the MMA world. She ran through Cyborg in 51 seconds to score the knockout win. In the process, Nunes became a UFC “champ-champ” by capturing the women’s featherweight title. “The Lioness” already held bantamweight gold going into the contest.
Thomson Says Cyborg ‘Dismantles’ Nunes In Rematch
After bouncing back with a dominant unanimous decision win over Felicia Spencer, Cyborg and the UFC had a nasty split. Cyborg ended up signing with Bellator and became the promotion’s women’s featherweight champion with a TKO win over Julia Budd. Bellator analyst and color commentator Josh Thomson expressed his belief that Cyborg would get revenge over Nunes in a rematch (h/t Bellator MMA News).
“I don’t understand how people can say after one loss that you are not the GOAT of women’s MMA. Cris Cyborg is hands down the best women’s MMA fighter I’ve ever seen. If they fought again, I think Cris just dismantles Amanda.”
We may never know what would actually happen in a rematch. Cyborg appears to be happy not being associated with the UFC anymore. The feeling seems mutual on UFC president Dana White’s end. There’s also the fact that the UFC hasn’t been as open to co-promotion as they once were. In a rare move due to the coronavirus pandemic, several fights planned for the March 21 UFC London card were moved to Cage Warriors 113. Only one of those bouts remains on the card.
At the end of her UFC run, Cyborg kept calling for a rematch with Nunes. UFC boss Dana White insisted that Cyborg didn’t truly want the fight. The back-and-forth and a video released by Team Cyborg fabricating words White used during a conversation led to the promotion being “out of the Cyborg business.”
