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Cris Cyborg: ‘There's a Novela Between Ronda and I That We Need to Finish'
Cris ‘Cyborg' Justino doesn't fault Ronda Rousey for losing, it happens to every athlete, but she does believe the drama surrounding their rivalry is something that people want to see culminate in a fight.
What has stopped Cyborg and Rousey from fighting? Weight. At least, that has been the issue that has been cited time after time by both sides of the rivalry.
Cyborg has long struggled with her weight cut, particularly when trying to go below the 145-pound division, where she has ruled for years and currently holds the Invicta FC featherweight championship. Making 135 pounds isn't impossible, but extremely difficult. When Rousey was the UFC bantamweight champion, UFC president Dana White argued that it didn't make sense to have his 135-pound titleholder meet Cyborg at a catchweight somewhere in the middle.
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Although the championship moniker has been removed from Rousey's resume, it is still a factor that is holding up the fight. When Rousey lost her title to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November of last year, that seemed to open the door. White, however, has repeatedly said that when Rousey returns – and he expects her to do so either late this year or early next – she will get an immediate title shot, regardless of who holds the belt, effectively removing Cyborg from the equation.
Cyborg could take easy shots at Rousey for losing, but she doesn't. In an interview with MMAjunkie, she said, “Defeats can happen to any athlete; that's sports. One you win, next you lose, but you need to know how to deal with that. That's it; you learn, you get better.
“You need to see where you went wrong and get better. That makes you a better athlete and person as well.”
Cyborg isn't privy to Rousey's return route to the Octagon. She doesn't know what Rousey is thinking, how or if she's training, or when she will be back in the cage, but she is hopeful that Rousey one day returns, as she has given a lot to the sport and can use her loss to be a further role model for her fans.
“I hope she does (return). She helped MMA grow a lot. Many girls out there are her fans and she can show that losing is not giving up,” said Cyborg. “Losing is about coming back and persistence and fighting for your spot again. If you lose, you can come back. There is no shame in losing.”
Although Rousey's immediate return isn't likely to include Cyborg anywhere in the picture, the Brazilian fighter is hopeful that they will eventually fight.
Their rivalry is one that spans years, and much like Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in boxing, it would be a blockbuster event should they ever meet in the Octagon.
“I believe there’s a novela (a soap opera, if you will) between Ronda and I that we need to finish. I think that’s a fight everyone wants to watch.”
Cyborg fought at 140 pounds in her UFC debut earlier this year, and has another 140-pound catchweight bout slated for the main event of UFC Fight Night 95 in Brazil later this month.
It's unlikely that she'll be able to go any lower than 140 pounds. As she showed in a behind-the-scenes video from May, it was like torture for Cyborg to cut down to that weight. She still believes, though, that a fight with Rousey is one they owe not only to fans, but to themselves, so that there are no unanswered questions when their careers are over.
“That’s why I think this fight needs to happen,” said Cyborg. “So that we can finish our careers saying we did that great fight and not that we should have done that fight; we did it.
“So let’s wait (and see) if she takes that initiative. It’s up to her.”
