UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is set to see her stock explode when she faces former bantamweight titlist Holly Holm at UFC 219
That is the opinion of the Brazilian star’s coach, Jason Parillo.
“A lot of people know who Cris is,” Jason Parillo told MMAjunkie ahead of Cyborg’s first UFC women’s featherweight title defense against Holly Holm. “She’s a big draw as it is, but she’s a bigger draw than anybody even knows, because we haven’t had her on this big promotion.”
Cyborg’s only defeat in her professional career was in her debut all the way back in 2015 and will face Holm, who overturned a three-fight skid with a spectacular knockout of Bethe Correia at UFC Fight Night 111 in Singapore in June. Holm lost the title she took off Ronda Rousey in November 2015 against Miesha Tate in her first title defense, before dropping losses to Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie. The loss to de Randamie was for the inaugural featherweight championship, a title which would end up in the hands of Cyborg when the Dutchwoman was stripped for what many believe was refusing to fight Cyborg.
Parillo believes that the bout against Holm will represent a tough challenge to Cyborg:
“You need a good opponent to make you great as well, and in Holly Holm, we’ve got that,” Parillo said. “I believe (Cyborg) can go in there and dominate, and that’s what we expect. We also expect the worst. We’re training for how this fight can go any way.
“Cris is just on another level than these girls. I really, truly believe she is. I know Holly has all the experience in the world and is very smart and an intelligent fighter, and they’re going to go in there with a hell of a game plan, but Cris is a different animal.”
