5 Things you probably did not know about Cris Cyborg

Cris Cyborg holds a special place in the hearts of Mixed Martial Arts fans. One of the most dominant fighters in the history of Women’s MMA, the Brazilian always manages to amaze the fans when she steps into the cage to fight.

UFC 222 will be no different. After the original main event of the pay-per-view featuring Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar was scrapped due to an injury suffered by Holloway, Cyborg stepped in to save the show on short notice.

How many champions in the UFC would take up a pay-per-view main event on one month’s notice?

Cyborg does and that is why she holds a special place in the MMA history books. But then again, how good is your knowledge about the reigning UFC Women’s Featherweight champion?

In this list, we put that knowledge into test and take a look at some lesser-known facts about the champion.

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#5 She was a national level handball player

Cyborg used to play handball before discovering combat sports

Cyborg’s skill inside the cage is world famous but not many people know that she was a national level Handball player for Brazil. In fact, Cyborg never wanted to be a fighter. She started playing handball at the age of 12 and continued playing for seven more years.

Then at the age of 19, one of the fighters from Chute Boxe saw Cyborg play and pursued her into trying Muay-Thai. One thing led to another and she was soon involved heavily in combat sports. Though she started late unlike most of the other world champions, Cyborg managed to grab the opportunities that came her way and climbed up the ladder fast.

#4 Her US MMA Debut came against a current WWE star

Shayna Baszler was the first opponent for Cyborg in the US

Before making it big in the United States, Cyborg was notorious for tearing through the Brazilian MMA scene. She made her MMA debut back in 2005 with a submission loss against Erica Paes. Cyborg then bounced back strongly and piled up four straight wins in the Storm Samurai Promotion which was based out of Brazil.

This impressive streak landed Cyborg an opportunity to fight in Elite XC and in turn, make her debut in the United States soil. The first opponent of Cyborg in the US was current WWE superstar and Ronda Rousey’s teammate Shayna Baszler.

Cyborg finished Baszler via a second-round TKO and kick-started her long-running undefeated run in the United States.

#3 Only fighter to defeat Gina Carano

Carano's undefeated run was ended by Cyborg

Gina Carano was hands down the first major superstar in Women’s Mixed Martial Arts. Although her career only lasted three years, Carano was one of the pioneers of the sport among women. She even went undefeated from 2006 to 2009 and won seven back to back fights in the process.

The star power of Carano was unmatched at that time while Cyborg had her own seven-fight winning streak to show. A fight between the two was imminent. It finally materialized at Strikeforce on August 15, 2009, and marked the first time that a women’s fight headlined a major MMA show.

In the end, it was Cyborg that came out on top through a first-round TKO. By doing so, the Brazilian became the first and only fighter to defeat Carano. And since Carano did not step into the cage after this fight, many claim that Cyborg knocked Carano out into retirement.

#2 The story behind her nickname

Cyborg with Santos

Cris Cyborg was born Cristiane Justino Venâncio. It was after her marriage with fellow MMA fighter Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos that she adopted the name ‘Cyborg’. For the uninitiated, Santos was a Brazilian fighter who used to compete in the Welterweight division while he was active. He has competed in promotions such as Pancrase, Strikeforce, Pride, and Bellator among others.

In an interview with Sherdog a few years back, Cyborg revealed that she doesn’t think about the literal meaning of the name and that she literally adopted it from her husband.

The couple split in December 2011 but is still in good terms. Cyborg was seen aiding Santos after he fractured his skull recently in a fight against Michael ‘Venom’ Page in Bellator. The injury, however, forced Santos into retirement.

#1 The records

The GOAT?

“The Greatest of all time” is a tag that’s often thrown into the mix when people talk about Cris Cyborg. There are numbers that back up this action. Cyborg currently has a professional record of 19-1 to her name and has not tasted defeat in 13 years.

Along with this, she has held a championship in all the major promotions that she has fought in. the Brazilian started by winning the Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Championship. Then she won the Invicta Featherweight championship and most recently, she captured the UFC Women’s Featherweight title as well.

She is a two-time gold medallist in the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and has an equally impressive record to showcase in professional Muay-Thai and Submission Grappling.

When she defends her title against Yana Kunitskaya next, Cyborg will have an opportunity to cement her position on top of the food chain.