SAN DIEGO – Cris Cyborg has done some stuff in her MMA career. That’s Sunday’s biggest understatement.
Cyborg (27-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) on Saturday continued her dominance over Bellator’s women’s featherweight division with methodical first-round TKO finish of Cat Zingano (14-5 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) at the historic Bellator 300 in San Diego.
The 145-pound champion defended her title for the fifth time in Bellator. Her resume also includes major titles for the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta.
But Cyborg also knows rumors have been swirling for months that Bellator as a promotion is on the proverbial auction block from parent company Paramount, and nothing is certain – even Bellator’s next scheduled show in Chicago in November.
If Bellator is sold to the PFL, for example, it’s likely that promotion would want Cyborg’s services as one of the GOATs in women’s MMA. But there are no guarantees – other than Cyborg’s personal guarantee that she wants meaningful matchups.
“At this moment in my career, I want to do the biggest fights,” Cyborg said. “I don’t know where I’m going to be in my career, if it’s in another place, but I love Bellator. I love working with (Bellator president) Scott Coker, and I feel blessed to be part of this event. I know it’s a huge show, and I’m happy. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I want to do the biggest fights for my fans.”
When told a merger with the PFL could open up the possibility for her to win a title with a fifth major promotion – the next step of unprecedented after her current four major belts – she perked up, though.
“I didn’t think about that, but maybe – that would make me happy.”
For now, though, Cyborg has her next Bellator fight planned – reliant, of course, on the promotion staying in business the way it is currently.
Leah McCourt (8-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) beat Olympic medalist Sara McMann (14-7 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) on the prelims to earn a title shot with Cyborg and a faceoff in the cage.
“I believe she’s an excellent challenge. It was a great match (Saturday against McMann) – she was an Olympic wrestler,” Cyborg said. “(McCourt) did great. She got the victory, and she deserves to fight for the title.”
Check out Cyborg’s full interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.
