The worst thing that could have happened to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino was Ronda Rousey losing to Holly Holm. If Rousey defeated Holm in another snoozer like everyone was expecting, there was a good chance Cyborg would have been her next opponent.
Now, the only thing that makes sense for Rousey is trying to get her title back from Holm. Dana White has already said there will be a Rousey-Holm rematch as soon as Ronda is ready, and Cyborg is clearly disappointed.
“I hope [a fight with Rousey happens] for the fans. But if she was running from me before the loss, imagine how much faster she will be running from me now,” Cyborg told Andreas Hale of Yahoo. “I’m not chasing her anymore. After all, didn’t she say ‘You come to the champ?’ I have been a world champion for 10 years!”
White said in the past that Rousey would fight Cyborg as soon as Cyborg got down to 135 pounds. As Hale notes, Cyborg’s next Invicta fight was supposed to be at 140 (down from her usual 145), setting up a potential 135-pound bout against Rousey at UFC 200.
But now that Rousey is no longer the champ, Cyborg doesn’t see the need to shed more weight.
“Do I still want to fight Ronda? Of course!” she said. “However, if she wants to be the best she needs to beat the best, and that’s me at my best, not a depleted mirror of myself – which is what she is hoping for by forcing me to 135.”
At this point, it would not be a surprise if Cyborg-Rousey never happens. If Rousey beats Holm in a rematch, it would only make sense for Dana White to schedule a third fight between Holm and Rousey. If Holm wins again, we already know what Rousey is planning to do. Cyborg has taken a backseat regardless of what she weighs in at.
