Cris Cyborg gives some insight into her thought process in leaving the UFC for Bellator MMA.
Los Angeles, CA — In just a couple of weeks, former UFC, Invicta FC, and Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will make her debut in the Bellator MMA cage. Taking on current champ Julia Budd at Bellator 238, it’s one of the biggest fights out there for the legendary Brazilian.
And it’s an opportunity for a fourth major championship. With that in mind, Cyborg told Cageside Press Monday that she’s “just thankful, blessed to have the opportunity.”
“Happy, training really hard for this fight, and excited,” is where she’s at, she said.
Cyborg (21-2, 1NC) went over a decade without a loss while striking fear into the hearts of fellow featherweights. That all came to an end when Amanda Nunes knocked her out at UFC 232 late in 2018. Cyborg bounced back with a win over Felicia Spencer before exiting the UFC while in a dispute with the promotion’s President, Dana White, over years of alleged mistreatment.
After such a long win streak, going undefeated for so many years, as a competitor, one would imagine not getting a chance to avenge her loss against Nunes must no doubt be frustrating. As Cyborg sees it, “I asked for a rematch, she didn’t want to give me [it]. I asked before Felicia [Spencer].” It comes down, she said, to happiness. “Do you want to be your ego, and not happy? Or do you want to be happy.”
“I choose to be happy, and await opportunities,” she finished.
Cyborg, who has said she’s open to a grand prix in Bellator, is simply looking ahead. To options that include both boxing and pro wrestling. Or, “if one day I want to rematch Amanda, if the UFC is open, we can do. This is one thing, the UFC can not match the contract of Bellator.”
Cris Cyborg returns to action at Bellator 238 on January 25, 2020 at the Forum in Los Angeles.
