CRIS CYBORG TALKING TO UFC ABOUT NEW DEAL
Former UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is currently in discussions with all the world’s top MMA advertising about a new contract, according to her agent Audie Attar, who talked to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on his MMA show. Cyborg has one fight left on her contract after her shocking KO loss to Amanda Nunes in UFC 232, but her and her agents have been clear with the UFC that they are interested in a reunion.
According to Attar, Cyborg expects to fight at UFC 237, which takes place this May at Curitiba, Brazil. The main event of that event will be headlined by UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas carrying on No. 1 competitor Jessica Andrade, also it makes a lot of sense to pump up the undercard with a fighter of Cyborg’s fame and name value, especially in Brazil. If Cyborg does fight at UFC 237, that will be the final fight on her contract, as he has just one battle left on it without any winner’s clause because of losing the belt.
The UFC will be smart to bring back Cyborg on a new deal. She has proven to be a bit of a pay-per-view draw at a time when the UFC needs fighters who sell displays, and although she will not be cheap to re-sign, she is shown to be well worth the money. So far as women’s fighters go, there aren’t many more exciting fighters compared to Cyborg and there sure aren’t many with much more title value than she has. The UFC absolutely should re-sign her provided that the ask is appropriate.
Even though it would be wonderful to see Cyborg get a rematch with Nunes viewing as though she was on a 13-year win streak before dropping her belt in upset fashion, it is very unlikely Nunes would take this fight. The rumor is that Nunes would like to fight Holly Holm alongside for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship, which would leave Cyborg with no upcoming logical competitor. There aren’t a lot of featherweights from the UFC at this time, but the two that do stand out are Megan Anderson and Cat Zingano. Anderson just beat Zingano in controversial fashion after a toenail slit her eye and the fight was stopped in the first round at UFC 232, but Anderson did get her hand raised. If the UFC wanted to do Cyborg against Anderson in Brazil, that’s a struggle that makes a lot of sense.
Cyborg will fight that last fight of her contract, but in the case she will enter free agency, she will have a great deal of suitors. Evidently, Bellator would require a run at her as her ex-Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker is in control of the company. But I would guess RIZIN and ONE would likewise have a run at her, not to mention that the WWE, Golden Boy MMA and even some boxing promotions. Cyborg will have plenty of alternatives to select from. But if her broker has been sincere, she would like to come back to the UFC, and it would be excellent to get MMA fans if that’s what happens.
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