UFC CEO interested in signing ‘Cyborg’? Sources close to the company have revealed that Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the current featherweight champion of Invicta FC and one of the best-known female MMA fighters in the world, is currently involved in negotiations to move over to the UFC.
The timing of the contract negotiations is critical, as Justino only has one fight left on her Invicta contract and is looking to branch out. The CEO of UFC has revealed that Justino is looking for a deal that will keep her with Invicta while still clearling the way for the oft-discussed “dream fight” between Cyborg and UFC champion Ronda Rousey.
There’s certainly a great deal of interest on the part of UFC in Justino, but a great deal of that is conditional. Justino needs to shed weight to make the 135 pound cutoff for a fight with Rousey, and failure to achieve that could lead to disaster for all involved. There’s also the fact that Justino’s camp seems more focused on getting back into fighting shape than any potential moves – after all, the champ hasn’t competed since winning the title in July 2013.
The negotiations still seem to be going on, and everyone seems to be on very good terms – UFC itself has been very professional with Justino, which has helped keep the star fighter at the table. After all, UFC, has quite a bit riding on the potential of Justino fighting Rousey.
Justino and Rousey are widely considered to be the two best female fighters in the world, but they’ve never crossed paths. When Rousey was at a higher weight class in Strikeforce, everything seemed ready for an eventual clash of the titans – but nothing ever materialized between the two. Justino’s 2011 suspension for steriods and Rousey’s drop to the bantamweight division looked to derail the potential of a fight permanently.
Indeed, it is that drop down to the bantamweight class that seems to be the biggest impediment to any future fight. Rousey’s comfortable at 135, but Justino has shown that she has a great deal of difficulty dropping down from 145 – and any fight between the two in the Octagon is contingent on Cyborg dropping down. It’s the only way that UFC will allow the fight to go forward – but Justino’s people don’t want to talk about that yet. For now, it’s still wait and see on the contract itself.
Confirmed by: ESPN.COM
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