The war goddess Cris Cyborg (aka Cristiane Justino) will once again incarnate inside the UFC Octagon on Sept. 24 when she faces promotional newcomer Lina Lansberg in the UFC Fight Night 95 main event in Brasilia. Once again Cyborg will be competing at a catchweight of 140-pounds.
Why they have not yet created a new weight class in the UFC for featherweight female fighters is not known. Cris has made it known that the 135-pound bantamweight class is not an option, yet they want to continue to have her fight for the organization. So, why not use this as an opportunity to create a new 145-pound division in the UFC? After all, Cyborg is the reigning Invicta FC featherweight champ, even though she hasn’t defended that title since January when she knocked out Daria Ibragimova in the first round.
Cyborg (16-1, 1 NC) has won six straight fights by knockout since that unfortunate incident in 2011 when she failed a drug test for performance enhancers after knocking out Hiroko Yamanaka in 16-seconds in her third Strikeforce women’s featherweight title defense. Out of 16 victories, 14 of those have come by way of knockout for the 31-year-old Brazilian and that’s why she continues to hold the number one spot in our women’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings. Cyborg made her long-awaited UFC debut in May (at 140 lbs) with an 81-second stoppage of Team Cesar Gracie product Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (8-7-1).
Lansberg (6-1) will be unfamiliar for many UFC fans. She’s a 34-year-old Swede who has finished four of her six wins by knockout. The “Elbow Princess” last competed in March when she stopped Maria Hougaard Djursaa (5-7) via second round TKO at Odense Fight Night 5 in Denmark. Before that Lansberg had won a unanimous decision over Lucie Pudilova (4-1) last November at Battle of Botnia 5.
Will fight fans ever get to see that most coveted matchup between former bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey and Cyborg? After Rousey’s devastating KO loss to Holly Holm in November of last year, the Olympic judoka has been out of the spotlight and it’s still not certain when or if she will return to fighting. The odds say she will, but when and against whom, we do not know. The smart money for all concerned in our opinion would be, if Cyborg wins this fight, bring Rousey back for an epic showdown with Cris at 140-pounds. Rousey walks around pretty big, and with the belt no longer being a factor, and with Cris able to make 140, it seems to be the way to go. But only if Rousey can regain that fire she had when she was trailblazing her way into the mixed martial arts history books.
If you think that “honda” was frightened of her before H.H. reconstructed her face; she is TERRIFIED of her now. She’s done. Put a fork in it.