For a long time Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino has been campaigning for the UFC to start a weight class in her natural weight class of 145lbs, so it came as a shock yesterday when UFC president Dana White claimed she had recently turned down two opportunities to fight for the title in that division.
“What’s crazy about that is this: I offered Cris Cyborg a title fight at 145 pounds a month ago,” White told the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “She had eight weeks to get ready for it, she said she couldn’t make the weight, said she couldn’t make 145 pounds.
“So then I offered her another 145-pound title fight for Brooklyn (UFC 208), she turned it down. She turned down two 145-pound title fights. One because she said she couldn’t make 145 pounds in eight weeks, and Joe Silva’s like, ‘If she can’t make 145 pounds in eight weeks, 145 isn’t the right weight class for her either.’”
White then revealed that the first fight they’d offered her was with former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and the second was with the No.11 ranked Germaine De Randamie.
So, why is Cyborg turning down what appears to be two opportunities to make her dream come true?
The fighter has now taken to Twitter to give her side of the story, claiming that it’s all just a matter of timing.
“I would fight either,fight just needs 2b n march or later.Let’s promote with 12 weeks,” Cyborg said.
Cyborg’s boyfriend Ray Elbe also took to the UG forum to give further details on why she was unable to make the eight week deadline on this occasion.
“She can make 145 in 8 weeks,” Elbe stated. “She needed more time to let her body recover from the last camp, and was told her hormones that gave her issues during the last cut would return if she let her body rest. She said yes to Holly for Brasilia and is still saying yes, just wants the fight after the holidays in march or later so she has proper notice to train.”
Hopefully this doesn’t prove to be too big of a stumbling block and both parties can come to an agreement as creating a 145lb weigh class for Cyborg is the right thing to do.
