‘Cyborg’ Versus Rousey This Fall Perfect For Both
On Saturday, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino punctuated her UFC debut with an easy victory over fighter Leslie Smith—she needed just 81 seconds in the Octagon to dispatch Smith via technical knock-out.
It was a typically dominant performance by the Invicta FC featherweight champion, who stepped into the Octagon as a 140-pound catchweight, when she took on Smith at UFC 198 over the weekend.
It didn’t take long for Cris Cyborg to call out UFC superstar Ronda Rousey:
Hey @rondarousey you running all the way to New York? #dontbescaredhomie #CHAMPIONvsEXChampion #ufc205 https://t.co/thgexmLrgI
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) May 15, 2016
Rousey’s stunning loss to unheralded fighter Holly Holm at UFC 193 last November may have tarnished the sheen on any future Cyborg-Rousey UFC event, but it would still be a huge draw—and the storyline could be even more compelling.
What would once have been billed as the ultimate battle between two unstoppable forces becomes Rousey’s road-to-redemption and Cyborg’s push for the summit. Cyborg-Rousey has always been the fight fans wanted, but now the stakes are much higher for the opponents and UFC itself.
It’s no secret Dana White is going to want a huge headliner with star power—as in Ronda Rousey—for his New York City pay-per- view event this November. While issues such as weight class need to be worked out to put Cyborg and Rousey in the Octagon together this fall, there’s plenty of time to get it done.
And as the world waits for Rousey’s return to UFC, Cyborg will continue to build her own resume (and troll Rousey) as the two head for an inevitable collision course.
