Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos is no longer a Strikeforce fighter. The Brazilian had been the woman’s defending 145lb champion for over two years, but hasn’t fought since June of last year as contract talks stalled, with the promotion looking to continue to pay her what she current earns, while ‘Cyborg’ wanted an enhanced salary that reflects her status as a champion in the promotion.
According to MMAfighting June 26th was the deadline for a new agreement to be reached before Cyborg once again became a free agent.
Santos and her camp are still hopeful that a deal can be struck with Strikeforce in the future, but for the time being there’s no indication that it’s going to happen and with Zuffa now in charge of the organization and Dana White known to be less than committed to growing female MMA, ‘Cyborg’ isn’t likely to be high on their list of priorities.
It’s a great shame as Santos is clearly an elite fighter as far as the woman’s MMA scene goes and as such should be competing on the world stage rather than sitting on the sidelines.
At just 25 there’s still plenty of time left in her career however, and the word is that she intends to keep busy in the coming months now that she is a free agent, with a fight in Brazil in August being the first step.
