What does Bellator do with Cris Cyborg? Four potential options after her title win

Cris Cyborg added another layer to her legacy to kick off 2020 when she claimed her fourth major promotional title by taking the Bellator women’s featherweight belt from Julia Budd.

Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has been the most dominant women’s featherweight fighter in MMA history. She may have lost to Amanda Nunes in the UFC, and a rematch may ended a similar way. But there is no one else who is her equal at the moment.

So what kind of predicament does that leave Bellator in? The promotion is kept to a lower standard and can get away with borderline grotesque mismatches more than its UFC counterpart. People have seen Cyborg in those types of fights for more than a decade, though, and it would be in Bellator’s best interest to seek out the biggest challenges.

Bellator president Scott Coker has even said he’s open to Cyborg taking a boxing match or any other unique challenges she wants to pursue. No one is raving to see that since MMA is the Brazilian’s best space. In light of that, here are four other more compelling options.

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1. Rematch with Budd

Let’s just get this one out of he way immediately: Yes, Cyborg’s fourth-round TKO of Budd was convincing, but it was also far less one-sided than most Cyborg fights. Budd’s size and strength automatically make her a compelling opponent, and if the Canadian can improve on some lessons learned from the initial encounter, she could potentially close the gap in a second fight.

And more so than anything, Budd deserves the opportunity. She distinguished herself as Bellator’s best female 145-pound fighter over a seven-fight winning streak and three title defenses before running into Cyborg. On paper, she is the most credible and legitimate opponent for Cyborg on the Bellator roster.