Cris Cyborg is playing things close to the chest ahead of this weekend’s UFC 240, where she returns for the first time since losing her title to take on Felicia Spencer.
Edmonton, AB — There’s been a narrative painted ahead of UFC 240 in regards to former women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. A number of them, actually. One is that she’s scared to take a rematch with Amanda Nunes. That narrative was put out there by none other than UFC President Dana White. Another is that it could be the final time we see Cyborg, among the most feared female fighters in history, in the octagon.
The scared narrative has little semblance to reality, and seems like more of a negotiation tactic than anything else. But there is a very real possibility that Cyborg moves on from the UFC, though she was mum on her future Thursday, at the UFC 240 media day. Asked by Cageside Press if this might be the last time we saw her in the promotion, Cyborg would say only that “I just know it’s about my next fight. Not the last two, not the next one, [I] just think about Saturday.”
Fair enough. Most fighters shy away from looking too far ahead with a fight just days away. Cyborg is a veteran, one facing a very motivated Felicia Spencer on Saturday night.
On the Spencer front, Cyborg told us that “I was ready to challenge anybody, and then she accepted the challenge. She challenged me. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to fight Saturday.” The Brazilian was not, however, all that familiar with Spencer prior to being booked opposite her. “No, I no follow her before. I just followed for this fight. Actually, my team watched her fights, and that’s it.”
With all the talk about White’s comments, and her contract, one would imagine it has been difficult for Cyborg to keep her focus on the task at hand. “I just focus on the one thing I can control. The only thing I can control is Saturday,” she told us.
Nor is she concerned about what Spencer brings to the cage. Rather, Cyborg is focusing on herself. It’s a process that has served her well, minus the hiccup in her last fight, to this point. “I’m going to do my best. I feel great, I train great, I’m going to do my best on Saturday.”
Watch the return of Cris Cyborg this Saturday at UFC 240 in Edmonton, Alberta. The main card airs live on PPV.
