Cris Cyborg on controversial UFC run, potential Amanda Nunes rematch and retirement

Cris Cyborg had quite a run in the UFC.

The women’s MMA pioneer achieved plenty, but also had her ups and downs both in and outside the cage.

Friday will mark seven months since Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator, and the featherweight champion is happy she made the switch.

“In the UFC I had a nice time, but hard times too making me think, ‘Maybe I’m going to retire, maybe going to take a break,’ because there was a lot of stress outside the cage, not just inside,” Cyborg told MMA Junkie. “And I said, ‘I really want to be happy, I love my job,’ and since signing with Bellator, it’s made me more motivated, made me dream again, and I’m happy to work with them.

“It’s not about odds, it’s not about games, it’s not about damage to my brand, it’s not about lies, you know. It’s stressful, it’s not good. Then I started fighting for this (Bellator) and now I love and I’m excited here. I’m happy and I don’t have stress. I just train and do my best, that’s it.”

Cyborg signed with the UFC in March 2015. At the time she joined the Las Vegas-based promotion, Cyborg held the Invicta FC featherweight championship. She went on to defend that title twice while under UFC contract before making the jump to the big promotion in fall of 2016.

Looking back at the start of the UFC chapter of her storied career, Cyborg remembered she could have gone the Bellator route much earlier, as she had planned leaving Invicta FC due to a lack of fights before the UFC offer came along.

“I was going to change,” Cyborg said. “The UFC didn’t have my division, so I was probably going to go with Bellator and then what happened is that UFC contacted my manager and I signed a deal with UFC.

“My contract was with the UFC, but I was fighting in Invicta. I did like seven fights in Invicta [she competed five times, and two were under the UFC contract], but was already a UFC fighter.”

Cyborg first fought for the UFC in May 2016 on the main card of UFC 198 in her native city of Curitiba, Brazil. During a time in which the UFC did not have a women’s featherweight division, Cyborg stopped Leslie Smith in the first round of a 140-pound catchweight bout. The Brazilian thought she would go back to defend her Invicta FC featherweight title, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

“When I had my first fight with UFC, it was my final fight from Invicta FC (contract), but when I did my first fight (in the UFC), I thought I was going back to Invicta to defend my title,” Cyborg said. “Then Dana White said you’re not going back to Invicta, now you’re UFC fighter. I said, ‘Ok, but you don’t have my division and everybody knows the novela.’ I then fought at a catchweight and that was not good for me.  Then we fight so much, then they opened our division.”

Cyborg fought twice at 140 pounds. She had to go to drastic measures to make the weight, and the five extra pounds to make the catchweight bout took a toll on her body. According to Cyborg, that was the main reason why she didn’t fight for the inaugural women’s featherweight belt at UFC 208

“I got sick in one weight cut and I was going to fight two months later and then Dana said, ‘Ok, you don’t want to fight, cool I’m going to make the division anyways with your title fight,’ and I didn’t fight the first fight of my division because I was sick from the weight cut. But it’s nice, now they have the weight over there, cool, we made history.”

Getting passed over for the crack at the first UFC women’s 145-pound belt, an opportunity which instead went to Germaine de Randamie and Holly Holm, was one of Cyborg’s many issues working with the UFC.

When asked if the issues outside the octagon affected her performances inside the cage, Cyborg said it was just like any other hiccups fighters experience in the careers.

“For me this didn’t affect me or anything,” said Cyborg, who ultimately defeated Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 to claim the vacated belt. “I can handle it. But in the beginning, I don’t think it affected me, but it gets harder when you have a lot of stress growing. Same when you have camp and have stress at home, you can’t train right. It’s the same thing. But this is the fight game, you know. That’s the game, but I figured it out and I chose to be happy and less stressed and love my job back.”

Cyborg and the UFC mutually agreed to part ways. The UFC released Cyborg from a potential matching period after the last fight on her contract, citing they were no longer in the “Cyborg business.” The potential rematch with current UFC women’s featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was no longer in play after Cyborg’s release. Many, including Cyborg, wanted the Nunes rematch, as it a chance to avenge her first loss in 13 years and an opportunity to reclaim the belt.

“When you talk to any fighter of course they want the rematch,” Cyborg said. “My first loss I never had an opportunity for a rematch, it was my first fight of my career in MMA. I asked for a rematch but they wouldn’t give it to me. I know at some point if it’s in God’s plans I’m going to get the rematch. Later, soon, I don’t know, but I just have to continue focusing, work hard, and if the fight happens, that be cool.”

It’s impossible to tell if Nunes and Cyborg will ever fight again. But one thing is for sure: the 34-year-old Cyborg doesn’t have plans to stop fighting anytime soon.

“After this deal that I did, I’m really happy to be working with Scott and now I’m motivated,” Cyborg said. I don’t see when I want to retire. I really feel great and that’s it. I feel great about fighting and I want to do some good fights for my fans, so let’s see.”