Cris Cyborg is staying with Bellator MMA.
After a lengthy negotiation process, promotion officials announced on Thursday that Cyborg (26-2, 1NC) had inked an exclusive, multi-fight deal to remain with the company.
While the potential of a move to the PFL remained a possibility, ultimately, Cyborg (properly Cristiane Justino) opted to stay where the biggest names are available to her: mainly, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, a pair of former UFC title challengers who have found a new home at 145lbs.
Both those potential opponents were highlighted in a press release announcing the signing. Bellator President Scott Coker also took the opportunity to court potential future opponents for the 145lb champ.
“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to re-sign the greatest women’s mixed martial artist to ever compete in the sport, but that’s exactly what we have done with Cris Cyborg,” Coker said. “There is no female athlete who can match what Cris has done inside or out of the cage and my favorite part about Cris is her continued willingness to take on all comers. So, if you’re a free agent looking to compete in the best women’s featherweight division in all of MMA, come test yourself against BELLATOR’s Cris Cyborg.”
Cris Cyborg has captured gold everywhere she has fought, winning championships in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, and Bellator MMA, making her a unique figure in MMA history. She holds notable wins over Marloes Coenen, Gina Carano, Holly Holm, Yana Kunitskaya, Tonya Evinger, Julia Budd, Arelene Blencowe, and numerous others.
“After receiving multiple offers from several promotions I’m very happy that I was able to come to terms with BELLATOR and remain the face of their women’s featherweight division,” said Cyborg in Thursday’s press release. “Scott Coker is a promoter that I’ve worked with and respected for many years. He’s done so much to further women’s MMA and give us a platform to showcase our skills. When making this decision, it was important to me that I was signing with the organization that I felt had the biggest names and the top talent at 145 pounds for me to challenge myself against. There is no question that all the top female featherweights are signed with BELLATOR and I can’t wait to get back in there and defend my belt.”
While Cyborg does not have a fight booked currently, it is expected that Cat Zingano will be next in line.
