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Cris Cyborg minimize John McCarthy off ahead of he could even check with.
It is really traditional in postfight, in-cage interviews for the broadcaster to ask the profitable fighter what they want next. Like she has accomplished to a lot of opponents in excess of the yrs, Cyborg defeat McCarthy to the punch.
“I am just looking for the most important combat,” Cyborg reported. “I really don’t care if it truly is gonna be Cat Zingano or Amanda Nunes or Kayla Harrison. I do not know. I just want the big fights for my enthusiasts.”
Cyborg, a person of the best women’s fighters of all time, will come to be a no cost agent this summertime, she has said. And she’ll do so right after nonetheless yet another spectacular victory, a dominant, unanimous decision acquire about Arlene Blencowe past Saturday evening in the main function of Bellator 279 in Honolulu.
There isn’t really substantially Cyborg has failed to do in MMA. She’s the only fighter at any time to win championships in 4 main promotions: UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC. On Saturday, she defended her Bellator title for the fourth straight time, tying Ben Askren for the most consecutive title defenses in the promotion’s heritage. The one knock on her has been the deficiency of top levels of competition, which is not entirely her fault, but extra a assertion on the depth in the heavier women’s divisions.
Cyborg, ESPN’s No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound women’s MMA fighter, has a prospect to dispel people notions as a totally free agent, exactly where she could have some attention-grabbing options. There are substantial fights for her in other organizations, as she outlined Nunes, the previous UFC two-division champion, and Harrison, the defending, two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion. You can find also Zingano, who is in Bellator and owns a win about Nunes, but would not be as significant-profile as the other individuals.
Nunes is the only female to conquer Cyborg considering the fact that Cyborg’s professional debut in 2005. Nunes knocked Cyborg out in the to start with round to gain the UFC women’s featherweight title (which Nunes even now retains) at UFC 232 in December 2018. Cyborg reported that a rematch is nonetheless something she’d like, even if she appreciates her legacy is cemented.
“We did not make it come about at the commencing,” Cyborg informed ESPN previous week. “But I really don’t consider I really will need the rematch to improve my journey. But I believe it truly is always superior when you happen to be a fighter and you get the chance to combat the people today you dropped with.”
Is there any way a next Nunes combat could take place? What about a matchup with Harrison, the previous two-time Olympic judo gold medalist? Or could Cyborg consider her hand at a various activity?
ESPN proposed some odds about where by 1 of the best of all time could land later on this calendar year.
Bellator: Can the incumbent retain the champ?
Re-signing with Bellator is the most likely scenario. Cyborg would seem pleased with the promotion, and there is a degree of consolation that she enjoys with Bellator president Scott Coker that she will not have any where else. Coker was her promoter with Strikeforce from 2009 to 2011 and the final two-plus a long time with Bellator. He was her promoter when Cyborg fought Gina Carano in the greatest women’s MMA battle of all time at that issue. Cyborg is a vastly crucial fighter for Bellator, as she was for Strikeforce. Coker and enterprise will very likely do whichever they can to provide her back.
“We will negotiate with her and we will test to make one more deal with her,” Coker explained to MMA Combating previous week. “Yet again, she’s vital to the enterprise. We appreciate her. I’ve been selling her since 2009. … When you assume about the friendship and connection that we have, it can be quite sleek. Let us see if we can put factors with each other.”
Odds on Cyborg to Bellator: -150
PFL: Will we finally get Cyborg vs. Harrison?
As element of Harrison’s new absolutely free-agent negotiations, marketing executives promised Harrison a huge, pay back-per-watch struggle in 2023, right after the 2022 PFL time. Cyborg is at the top of the checklist of large-title opponents available for Harrison, so PFL is probable to make a sizeable play for her. Cyborg informed ESPN that the previous time she was a free agent, PFL produced a “aggressive” present. Expect yet another one right here. And if Cyborg does conclusion up re-signing with Bellator, PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis has designed it known he will attempt to do a co-promoted celebration with Bellator, headlined by Cyborg vs. Harrison. Coker has not appeared bullish about these types of a thing happening — he would not like PFL’s Twitter methods — but Bellator has normally been eager to co-market less than the proper situations, like with Rizin in Japan.
“The king of co-promotion is one and only — it can be Scott Coker,” Harrison’s manager Ali Abdelaziz told ESPN. “He’s the guy. He normally does it, suitable? PFL is quite flexible. I think I have to have to get two men in a place and sit down and talk about it. It’s possible Cyborg would not want to come to PFL. But if she comes, Alright. Probably you can do co-marketing. Why not? If it truly is doable, PFL will do it. Scott Coker will do it. But you have to set some respect on Scott Coker’s title.”
Odds on Cyborg to PFL: +300
Boxing: Will Cyborg just take her skills to the squared circle?
Cyborg has lengthy stated she wants to contend in boxing. The timing hasn’t been ideal for her, but it is nevertheless a thing that could materialize, even if she re-indicators with Bellator. Coker has said he’s prepared to aid Cyborg if she desires to action in the boxing ring. It’s possible she could even do it with Jake Paul’s Most Beneficial Promotions. Cyborg appeared in Paul’s modern songs online video attacking UFC president Dana White.
“I seriously like to strike,” Cyborg mentioned. “I know it truly is a distinct sport. I’m gonna have to be concentrated for a boxing combat. But it is really however just one of my goals.”
Odds on Cyborg to boxing: +1000
AEW/WWE: Well, Cris Cyborg previously appears like a cool wrestling name
In January, recent All Elite Wrestling (AEW) women’s champion Thunder Rosa visited Cyborg’s fitness center in Orange County, California, to function out. The two have made a marriage more than social media, and the time with each other resulted in a faux pro-wrestling match which prompted a stir on social media. Cyborg is active on Twitter all through major WWE and AEW gatherings, and it is anything she mentioned would be pleasurable to do if factors lined up. This is also a little something Cyborg could do when with Bellator. Jake Hager fights for Bellator and performs for AEW.
“Why not?” Cyborg reported of professional wrestling.
Odds on Cyborg to AEW or WWE: +1500
Could Cyborg journey off into the sunset?
Brazilian UFC fighters Mayra Bueno Silva and Gloria de Paula ended up with Cyborg in Southern California during her instruction camp around the past quite a few weeks. Bueno Silva was at Cyborg’s fitness center for her have UFC camp, and she conquer Wu Yanan on April 16 in Las Vegas. Cyborg has expressed curiosity in coaching prior to, and she has quite a few fighters coaching at her gymnasium that she will help. But retirement? Not nonetheless, Cyborg mentioned, even while this is her 17th calendar year in the sport and she turns 37 in July.
“I will not experience in my heart nevertheless about retirement,” Cyborg claimed. “It really is gonna be 17 yrs. Perhaps I can do 20 many years. But I will not know. Only God is familiar with how I’m gonna sense. But I really feel terrific. I’m extremely thankful. I hardly ever had any bad accidents in my profession. It really is very prolonged. I in no way did one particular surgery in my vocation, 17 yrs. I under no circumstances pulled out of one particular battle mainly because of injury. I really feel incredibly blessed about this.”
Odds on Cyborg retiring and/or coaching: +5000
Could Cris Cyborg and Dana White reconcile their distinctions?
This is very not likely. Neither side is incredibly fond of 1 a different. Even when Cyborg was in the UFC, there were being tricky feelings in between her and White, who when mentioned she seemed like MMA legend Wanderlei Silva in a dress. On one more celebration, Cyborg’s crew doctored a movie to make it appear to be like White explained some thing he did not say, which Cyborg later apologized for. To compound matters, the UFC would not have a true women’s featherweight division.
“The reality is they will not have girls for me to combat,” Cyborg claimed. “A single of the problems — not just Dana White — is that they don’t have the girls to struggle. … The truth is they you should not have a division at 145 pounds.”
Even that Nunes rematch would not be enough to sell Cyborg on heading back again to the UFC.
“Of program, when you are a fighter and when you like to battle and you have a single loss, of system you want to [have a rematch],” Cyborg mentioned. “But it is really not anything I am going to change in my career the way it truly is likely now.”
Odds on Cyborg to UFC: +10000