'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
And it's official! Cris Cyborg has signed with Bellator MMA, thus ending her free agency phase.
Bellator MMA president Scott Coker stated that Cyborg had signed the biggest contract in women's MMA history. Coker hyped up the high-profile signing with the following statement:
“I have worked with countless athletes over my thirty-plus years of promoting combat sports, but there is no one quite like ‘Cyborg’. Her ability to excite the crowd from the moment she makes her walk to the cage is special and having had the pleasure of promoting several of her fights in the past; I am looking forward to the opportunity of promoting her once again. “
Cyborg’ is the most dominant female fighter in the history of the sport, and she will be a perfect fit here at Bellator, where champion Julia Budd and the other women that make up best female featherweight division in the world have eagerly awaited her arrival.”
Cyborg commented on the major announcement in a video posted by Coker on Twitter:
“I’m very excited to announce that I’m partnering with Scott Coker and Viacom and fighting in Bellator. You guys know I have a lot of girls. I want to fight at 145 pounds, and this means you’re going to have a lot of fights per year and I’m very happy about that! “My goal is to be the only female fighter is holding four different major titles in the same division.” H/t Credit: MMAFighting
A fresh start for Cris Cyborg
The Brazilian MMA legend had previously worked under Coker when the latter was a promoter for Strikeforce back in 2009.
Cris Cyborg has a lot to prove after ending a forgettable stint with the UFC stint owing to a highly publicized fall out with Dana White. It all began when she got knocked out by Amanda Nunes in 51 seconds at UFC 232.
While Cyborg did win the final fight on her UFC contract against Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 in July, her relationship with White completely broke down after the fight.
White accused Cyborg of ducking away from a rematch against Nunes, but she retaliated by labelling the UFC president a liar. Her social media team even released a doctored backstage video that portrayed White as the villain in the equation.
Cyborg would later apologise for the video, but White had made up his mind that he 'was out of the Cyborg business'. The UFC thus chose not to renegotiate a new contract with Cyborg.
UFC's loss has turned out to be Bellator's gain.
Who will Cyborg fight in her Bellator debut? Will she be given tune-up fights or be thrown right into the deep end against the reigning Bellator Featherweight ChampionJulia Budd?
We'll have to wait and watch.
