Bellator 238’s Budd Fighting For Her Legacy Against Cyborg

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Bellator 238: “Budd vs. Cyborg” takes place this weekend (Sat., Jan. 25, 2020) at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., streaming exclusively on DAZN. A women’s Featherweight world title match sees “The Jewel” Julia Budd (13-2), undefeated dating back to 2012 in 11 consecutive fights, try to make it 12 in a row at the expense of promotional newcomer Cris Cyborg (21-2, 1 NC) in the main event.

The fact that people refer to her as “Cyborg” speaks for itself. Cristiane Justino is one of the most feared women in mixed martial arts (MMA), having finished almost 71 percent (17 of 24) fights in her professional career by knockout. While accusations of performance enhancement have dogged her career, it’s still an impressive body of work throughout multiple promotions.

Although Budd and Cyborg both had stints in Strikeforce, the two have never crossed paths until this fight. While Cyborg and her fearsome reputation went on to headline events for Invicta and UFC, Budd dusted herself off after a 2-2 pro start and ran up win after win until she was crowned a champion in 2017.

Budd recently chatted with MMAmania.com about defending her crown in a marquee fight she personally believes was inevitable.