Cyborg: Rousey Still Won’t Fight Me

While Ronda Rousey had her extended absence from MMA, Cris Cyborg had an interesting year: the dominant female fighter made her UFC debut, fighting twice at a 140-lb. catchweight. When Rousey’s return was announced, UFC President Dana White said that the highly-anticipated super-fight with Cyborg remains one of Rousey’s priorities. Cyborg still does not believe that to be true.

Speaking to Submission Radio, Cyborg said she believes Rousey does not want her fight her regardless of the outcome of her comeback fight.

"Ronda, after her loss to Holly Holm, she took like a one-year break, and then I don’t think it’s fair she fights for the belt after one-year break," Cyborg said. "I think she’s supposed to rematch Holly Holm or fight somebody else. I don’t think she’s humble enough for a fight that’s not for the belt, because she wants to fight for the belt.

"Really if Ronda really wanted to fight me, she would’ve already did it," Cyborg said. "[Whether] she wins or loses her next fight, she’s not going to fight me. This I already know. She doesn’t like challenging herself. If she loses, she’s going to retire. Even if she wins, she will say, "you have to come to the champion," and she’ll be saying the things that she said before, you know, because she’s not there to challenge for big fights."

The main factor keeping a Rousey vs. Cyborg fight from happening over the years has been an issue of weight. In all previous organizations, Cyborg has fought (and dominated) at 145 lbs. Rousey was the women’s bantamweight (135lb.) champion in the UFC, and has said she she will only fight Cyborg at her weight class. Cyborg, a much larger fighter, has repeatedly said that she is unable to make 135 lbs.

The Brazilian fighter struggles to even get down to 140 lbs., an arbitrary catchweight put in place for her two UFC bouts. Cyborg believes that if Rousey regains her title, she will resort back to her old ways of demanding the fight only take place at a weight Cyborg is unable to make.

"You know, she chooses her opponent and I don’t think this fight’s going to happen. I know Dana White said, ‘Oh Ronda wants to fight really bad’. If she really wanted this fight really bad, it would have already happened, people would’ve already watched the fight. I don’t believe one word of this. She didn’t even say my name. Before, she was all the time saying my name, that she wants to fight me, ‘Oh Cris Cyborg’.

"Now she doesn’t say my name because we’re in the same organization. She knows if she says my name, this fight’s going to happen. She’s avoiding me and not saying my name. She’s telling reporters, "no questions about Cyborg, because if you make questions about Cyborg, I’m not going to answer you and you’ll be out of my list of reporters," and then she plays this game. I don’t think this fight’s going to happen."

As for 140 lbs., Cyborg says that she will only cut that additional five pounds for a massive fight, like one with Rousey. She made the dangerous cut for her UFC debut in Brazil, and then a second headlining spot in her home country.

"You know, the first time I made 140 in Brazil, Curitiba, the first time I did it was because it would be in my city," Cyborg said. The main thing is to do is open an opportunity, maybe to do super fight with Ronda Rousey at 140. And I just showed them that I can make 140 for a super fight. And my second fight was supposed to be 145, I was supposed to be to defend my belt. And then again, I had the opportunity to fight 140 in Brazil.

If you want a super fight, doesn’t matter the weight — It can be 150, can be 155, 145. But the thing is, I cannot kill myself at the time to make 140 for a normal fight."