Cris Cyborg rips women’s MMA, UFC

Cris Cyborg Justino is languishing in the women’s MMA world and disenchanted with the entire industry.

Cyborg, who was the women’s Strikeforce featherweight champion and is currently the Invicta FC World Featherweight champion, is being left out as the UFC establishes a women’s division. Fighters like Ronda Rousey, Cat Zingano, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Liz Carmouche and even Gina Carano are booking the big fights or being talked about. Cyborg, meanwhile, has turned to kickboxing over the past year.

A lot of this has to do with Cyborg’s positive drug test in 2012, which makes her a questionable addition to the UFC roster. But another issue is whether or not Cyborg is marketable; Rousey, Tate and Carano all gained a ton of popularity thanks to their good looks. Cyborg called out the UFC over this issue.

Cyborg held a Q&A with fans at the UnderGround Forums this week and answered some big questions about women’s MMA. In the three responses below, you can see how she dislikes the political/marketing nature for the fights:

Q. What advice would you give to a young woman getting started as a MMA fighter today?
A. Make a bunch of photo shoots and spend more time on Instagram and Facebook than training.

Q. How long until you are in the UFC?
A. This isn’t my choice. In the beginning if you won you moved up rankings and fought the best now it is more about fans, twitter, tv. I know I am the best female MMA fighter, and I want the best stage to show that. God will work his plan, I just have to focus on training and winning.

Q. Carano vs Rousey. Was this amusing to you?
A. When I heard rumors of this fight, it made me feel like the game of MMA is changing. it’s political now.

It’s understandable why Cyborg, who whooped up on Carano (though the former was likely on something), would be bothered by talk of a Carano-Rousey fight. There is a ton of tension between Rousey and Cyborg, with lots of name-calling going on between them.

Cyborg was asked about her relationship with Rousey and a potential fight between them.

Q. Do you dislike Ronda on a personal level for all the trash talk about you or do you see it as hype in case of a future fight?
A. I think Rhonda has the type of personality where she needs the attention. I don’t have anything personal against her. I heard when she first started fighting mma she used to watch my fights, I’ve always been curious which fight was her favorite. My first fight was 2005, and I came to america with Elite XC in 2008. I am from a different time. Remember when Wanderlia Silva fought Mark Hunt in PRIDE? What weight was that fight? That is Chute Boxe. That is fighting because you love it. If she really wanted this fight it would have happened already. I find the interviews funny, my friends in Brazil and the USA always call me to see what I will say. The fight will happen or the fans of MMA will robbed of history.

Q. If it happens, how do you see you vs Rhonda fight transpiring?
A. Tough fight, I win.

At least she gave Rousey enough credit to say it would be a tough fight.

It would be a great fight, and Rousey says she would be willing to fight Justino despite believing her nemesis is a cheater. Personally, I’m fine either way. If the fight happens, it will be nice to see Rousey beat the cheater. If it doesn’t, that’s just as well because you could argue Cyborg doesn’t deserve the shot.

That’s another thing: I think Cyborg is obfuscating her alienation from the UFC by ascribing it to a lack of popularity or marketability, when really it has to do with her being a marked cheater.

Forearm bash to Bloody Elbow