Days away from Cris Cyborg’s Bellator debut, the former UFC champion reflected on the last two years of her fight career. ‘Difficult’, is how she described a turbulent period that saw her clash publicly, and privately, with UFC president Dana White and suffer her first defeat for 13 years.
Cyborg, 34, was accused of dodging a rematch with UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, branded a ‘nightmare’ by White and her own complaints about bullying at the hands of the UFC top brass and fans were dismissed. Cyborg has always felt she was under-appreciated and under-promoted by the UFC.
On Saturday night in California, Cyborg begins a ‘new chapter’ in her career against fellow veteran Julia Budd. The fight is a Bellator title clash and Cyborg has the chance to become the first fighter to hold a Strikeforce, Invicta, UFC and Bellator belt. A feat dubbed the MMA grand slam.
Cyborg also links up with Scott Coker for the second time in her 15-year career. Cyborg was one half of the historic Strikeforce showdown with Gina Carano in 2009. Cyborg won Strikeforce’s inaugural featherweight title and it was the first time two women headlined a major MMA event. Coker was Strikeforce’s CEO.
‘It’s a real blessing to work with Scott Coker again,’ Cyborg told Metro.co.uk. ‘When we announced the fight, everyone kept saying welcome home, Cris. I’m really happy.
‘I feel very blessed and thankful. It’s a new chapter of my life.’
‘Now it’s just focusing on training and on camp,’ she continued. ‘There’s no stress outside of camp, like there was before. There was a lot weighing on me.
‘When people want to work with you, you feel different. It’s a different kind of chemistry and breathes a new energy.
‘It makes me happy. But I’m thankful, of course, for my time in the UFC. It made me a better fighter and I learned a lot. I’m a better professional now, but I’m very happy to begin this chapter. I don’t miss that struggle I went through before.’
Coker opted against slowly building Cyborg towards a fight with Budd, who has held the title since 2017. The Canadian is Bellator’s first and reigning featherweight queen and Cyborg admitted she was surprised to be thrown straight into the deep end.
‘I wasn’t expecting this,’ Cyborg admitted. ‘I expected to fight Julia Budd, but not in my first fight.
‘I’m thankful for the opportunity. It motivates me. Julia is a great champion and is a real 145-er. It’s a blessing to train for such a high level fighter.’
Cyborg campaigned for years in the UFC for a 145-pound division. She released harrowing videos of her own weight cuts before the division was introduced. The UFC launched the weight class without her in early 2017, as Cyborg was unable to fight due to a USADA violation she was eventually cleared of. Three years on from winning that UFC belt, Cyborg’s ambitions in Bellator go far beyond becoming a champion again.
She explained: ‘I think I want to make a difference. Signing for Bellator has already encouraged a lot of fighters that there are other options [than the UFC].
‘I want to continue to spend time with my fans and be a champion people can look up. I want to help people and I try to do that with each fight. That’s what I want my legacy to be.’
‘I want to be remembered as the woman who wouldn’t let the bullies stop me,’ Cyborg added. ‘My goal, my discipline, pushed me forward even through the hard times. I kept going. That’s what I want for my fans.’
Despite the fact many recognise Cyborg’s break from the UFC as inevitable, fans will be disappointed to see the prospect of Nunes vs Cyborg II disappear. Their 2018 showdown was considered a battle for the women’s GOAT (greatest of all time) status.
Nunes is the UFC’s two-weight champion, but Cyborg does not buy into the idea there will never be a rematch while her rival remains an octagon fighter.
‘Amanda Nunes is certainly one I’d like to do again, but I’m not going to stress about it,’ Cyborg said. ‘I think it could happen one day, but it is out of my control, so I’ll try not to worry about it. If the UFC want to do it, then I’m sure we can come to an agreement.’
She added: ‘I talked to Scott (Coker) about this to see if it was possible and he said he’s definitely open to doing that. I like to make great fights for the fans and Bellator have co-promoted already in Japan (with Rizin). So why not the UFC?’
On the question of falling down the GOAT pecking order, Cyborg insisted she was not concerned with where she ranked in history, as long as her legacy remained intact.
‘I let other people debate this,’ she said. ‘It’s too much to say you’re the GOAT or the greatest. I’ve never said that about myself. That’s for other people to decide. Maybe I am? But it’s better not to say that!’
‘My legacy is don’t quit,’ she continued. ‘Even in the worse times, you can’t quit. Okay, I fight in a cage, but my fans are fighters too. They fight every day in their own lives. In ordinary day life you need someone in your corner.
‘I think my fans have seen the struggles I’ve had, huge highs and big lows, but they’ve never seen me quit. That’s the message I want to stick in my fans’ hearts and that’s what I want my legacy to be.’
Bellator 238: Budd vs. Cyborg takes place on the 25th January at The Forum in Inglewood, California and will air live on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Arena
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