Not so fast, Dana White. Cris Cyborg has someone other than Amanda Nunes in mind for her next fight.
Despite Dana White saying that he’s looking to make a Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes super fight, the UFC featherweight champion isn’t all that interested in the bout. And her reasoning is actually fairly sound. In a statement to her official website, Cyborg on Thursday addressed the subject of her next opponent. For the 145lb Queen, what matters is fighting top contenders — and if Megan Anderson is not available, she’s looking to face the next contender in line. Not someone from a lower weight class.
Said Cyborg,
“I have fought 4 consecutive fights against girls who have come up from 135lbs to fight me, because they were “SUPERFIGHTS” for the fans. Besides Lina Lansburg (I fought her at 140) none of these girls had been fighting at featherweight.”
As a World Champion it is important that you face the #1 contender. That is what makes it sport and not entertainment, otherwise what are the girls fighting at 145lbs training to work towards if they know they will never be given a title shot even if they become the best in the world? I have a responsibility to the sport to ensure that when I retire the 145lbs division continues to exist, and it is because of that I want my next fight to be against a contender from the featherweight division that has fought at 145lbs within the last year.
If Megan Anderson is not ready to fight, then the next available contender Pam Sorenson deserves the opportunity. I can continue giving fans superfights, however in order for this division to grow it is my responsibility to respect the work of all the women fighting at 145lbs and give the top girls a chance at the title once they have earned it. If Amanda Nunes truly wants an opportunity at the 145lbs belt, a win against any ranked contender in that division would help establish her back in a weight class she left before fighting me.”
Sorenson has previously stated that she’s down for a potential fight with Cris Cyborg. “If Anderson is unavailable, I’d definitely be down to share the cage with Cris Cyborg” she told WMMA Rankings this week. Sorenson is coming off a win over Helena Kolesnyk at Invicta FC 24, and is 6-2 thus far in her career after turning pro in 2015.
Cris Cyborg (19–1 (1)) is coming off arguably the biggest win of her career at UFC 219, against Holly Holm. Holm, a former UFC bantamweight champion, previously fought at featherweight against Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural UFC featherweight championship.
