At age 36, Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg (25-2, 1NC) doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
“I feel great, I feel very blessed to never have any bad injury in my career. And I’ve been doing great fights,” she told media outlets including Cageside Press during this week’s Bellator 279 media day. “I think the more they come, the more experienced and relaxed you are in the fight.”
So with that in mind, she isn’t sure how much longer she’ll fight. She does know one thing, however: “I still have fire in my heart to continue to fight.”
That fire should fuel here against Arlene Blencowe, who Cyborg meets in a rematch atop Bellator 279 on Saturday night.
“[Blencowe] has been beating all the girls and she’s No. 1 in the division. I just have to be ready. For sure she’s going to be stronger than before. When you give somebody the rematch, you have to be prepared for any situation in the fight. I just feel ready and strong to go.“
Asked whether Blencowe had improved from the pair’s first fight to now, the champ replied by saying “I can say, I get improved, I’m training. For sure she’s focused on the rematch, for sure she’s improved something, but we’re going to see Saturday night.” With that said, Cyborg plans to be ready for “any situation in the fight.”
Cris Cyborg scored a quick finish in her first fight with Blencowe, securing the first submission win of her career. That has resulted in a lot of talk about a quick finish this time out, but the champ isn’t focused on that.
“I always have five rounds to finish the fight. You never go into a fight thinking it’s going to finish fast. If it’s fast, it’s lucky. You did your best. I’m ready to do the five rounds. I have to be patient and wait for the opportunities that are going to happen. I have to feel the fight out and I have five rounds to do that.”
With Bellator 279 situated in scenic Hawaii, Cyborg has had to remind herself that she’s “here to do battle. It’s a beautiful place, beautiful people, and I’m looking forward to enjoying it after the fight.”
Watch the full Bellator 279 media day appearance from Cris Cyborg above. More coverage can be found below.
-
Cris Cyborg
-
Juan Archuleta
-
Raufeon Stots
-
Arlene Blencowe
-
Kyoji Horiguchi
-
Justine Kish
