UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has been seemingly growing frustrated with negotiations concerning UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes as of late. Now it would appear that Cyborg is targeting Nunes as potentially being her final fight inside the octagon.
Cyborg and Nunes have been in negotiations once before, as the two were targeting a super fight for UFC 224. However, Amanda Nunes ultimately went on to face Raquel Pennington on the card.
Now Nunes is attempting to get Cyborg to accept a fight contract for this Dec., though Cyborg is seemingly adamant on fighting earlier in the year with a potential Sept. date in mind. Speaking on Combate News, Cris Cyborg has come forward with a few words on the matter.
“Friday, last week, I talked to the UFC, and I said I wanted to fight, that I’m ready to fight. I’ve been training, ready, and I want to fight. They offered me September, the 8th, in Dallas, to fight Amanda. I said that’s fine. I’ll fight. I’ve been training. I’m ready. A champion has to be ready all the time.
“Then on Monday they said (she) didn’t accept Sept. 8. Then I said I wanted to fight anyway. I want to fight. I don’t want to be idle. And then Amanda sent the picture, saying she accepted the fight on Dec. 29.”
“It’s the same as someone arriving at your house, knocking at your door and asking you to throw down, and then they say, ‘Wait, I need one year to prepare.’ When you do that, you have to be ready for when the fight happens. But then to need six months to prepare, one year? I think it’s disrespectful toward me, to wait one year for a person to be ready. I have no problem with fighting Amanda on Dec. 29. She wants time to be ready. But I believe I could fight before that, not wait all this time. Especially because we get paid when we fight. …
“I don’t think it’s right for the girls in Amanda’s division to wait one year to fight. I know that Ketlen Vieira, she deserves to fight for the belt. So if (Nunes) needs all this time to move up a weight class, heal her leg, whatever time she needs, then she should vacate the belt and do an interim belt so Vieira has her shot at the belt.”
“They did the (‘TUF 28’) house, and they cut all the girls at 145. They only signed up the girls who can make 135 pounds. Holly Holm says she doesn’t want to fight now. Pam Sorenson tried out for ‘TUF,’ but she didn’t make it. They didn’t put her through I think because she doesn’t make 135. There’s Cindy Dandois, who also beat Megan Anderson.
“There’s Ediane Gomes, who sends me messages challenging me all the time. (She’s) also in my division. There are girls who can fight. There are girls in my division. But they don’t want it. They want that fight with Amanda. But I don’t think it’s fair to wait 10 months, one year for this fight to happen.”
Cyborg concluded by revealing that she believes a potential super fight against Amanda Nunes will likely be her final octagon performance.
“I believe (Nunes) will be my last fight in the UFC. My contract goes until March, and with me waiting to fight in December, I think it will be the last one people will see me fight.”
