Leslie Smith expects Cris Cyborg to be improved at Bellator 259 – but not as much as she will be

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – When Leslie Smith gets back in the cage with Cris Cyborg next month, it will have been more than five years since the two crossed paths.

The first meeting at UFC 198 resulted in an 81-second TKO for Cyborg. And because Cyborg has been mostly dominant since then, including a UFC women’s featherweight title reign and her current status as Bellator’s 145-pound champion, the presumption might be she’s got the upper hand when the two rematch at Bellator 259.

But while Smith (12-8-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) acknowledged Friday that Cyborg (23-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will have improved, she wonders if those upgrades will be as good as hers.

“Of course (she’s gotten better). She hasn’t been sitting on the couch eating Cheetos for the past five years. She’s been doing her thing and training and going for it,” Smith said at a news conference after the matchup was announced at Bellator 255 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. “But where that benefits me is what she’s been doing has consistently worked for her. So what reason does she have to change if it’s consistently working?

“… I don’t doubt that she has evolved her game, but I’m 100 percent sure that I’ve evolved my game more.”

Since her loss to Cyborg, Smith has gone 4-1. She picked up UFC wins over Irene Aldana and Amanda Lemos, but then had a two-year layoff before getting back to work under the Bellator banner.

At Bellator 224 in July 2019, Smith outworked Sinead Kavanagh for a split decision. After a decision loss to Arlene Blencowe later that year, she rebounded with a decision win over Amanda Bell this past September. And just getting back in the win column was good enough to get her the next shot at Cyborg – who is coming off her first Bellator title defense against Blencowe.

In the rematch, Smith said she’ll be different based on what she learned in her loss the first time.

“Defense was not my thing before I fought her,” Smith said. “It was an incredible learning experience. Nobody before or after that has ever hit me with their power like that. I’ve been training since then to be able to control the distance, to be able to control the timing. Those are the two main things: Distance and timing are going to change every fight.”

Smith told MMA Junkie that despite Cyborg’s dominance against pretty much everyone who has been in front of her except current two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes, who took her featherweight title in late 2018, she won’t be intimidated in the fight.

Cyborg has gone the distance just four times in 25 fights. Of her 23 wins, 19 are by stoppage – with 18 by knockout. Despite the resume littered with finishes, Smith said it’s a shot she wanted.

“One thing about me is I’m not scared of anything – except not getting the opportunity to fight and try my hardest,” she told MMA Junkie. “I’ve been wanting this fight. I asked for this fight again. I’ve been training for this fight. I’ve already been working on all aspects of my MMA game, and I’m beyond excited about this opportunity.

“Of course I want this fight. This is the goal of everyone who’s in MMA, is a title in the premiere organization – which, this is the premiere organization for women for my weight class right now. This is the best place I could possibly be for fighting. I’m beyond excited about this opportunity. I’m ready to die out there. I’m willing to lose an ear, but I guarantee it’s going to be a very entertaining fight.”