UFC and Invicta champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will be making her Bellator debut on January 25 in Inglewood against Julia Budd.
Cris “Cyborg” Justino will attempt to win a championship in her fourth major promotion when she takes on Julia Budd on January 25 in Inglewood, CA. MMAJunkie was first to report the news. After several years with the UFC, Justino abruptly parted ways with the promotion in August and signed with Bellator soon afterward where she reunited with former promoter Scott Coker.
Cyborg’s impressive career spans more than a decade where she’s claimed titles in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and the UFC. Dropping the first fight of her career, she then went on an undefeated streak of nearly a decade where she earned victories over Gina Carano, Holly Holm, Marloes Coenen, and others. Despite great interest in a rematch with Amanda Nunes, Justino elected to leave the UFC in free agency.
Current Bellator featherweight champion Julia Budd has developed into one of the best featherweight talents in the world. She has only two losses, to Ronda Rousey and Nunes, and they both happened at the beginning of her pro career. “The Jewel” has been undefeated since 2012 and has torn through the competition in Bellator with victories over Marloes Coenen, Arlene Blencowe, and Talita Nogueira. She’s also expressed interest in a fight with Cyborg over the years, in particular following her impending free agency over the summer.
No venue has officially been announced yet but Bellator has traditionally booked The Forum in Inglewood for late January for the past several years and it is expected that they will be following suit. A formal announcement of the fight is expected during tomorrow’s broadcast of Bellator 228.
