Cris Cyborg tells Triple C Henry Cejudo she wants Cat Zingano next

Two of the greatest Combat Sports Athletes of all time Henry Cejudo and Cris Cyborg met over the weekend and an interview was published on Henry Cejudo’s official Youtube Channel.  During the Interview Cyborg is asked between matchups with Katie Taylor, Kayla Harrison, Cat Zingano, and a rematch against Amanda Nunes and took the time to answer each option.  Cyborg who is the only Grand Slam Champion in the sport after having won Bellator MMA, UFC, Invicta FC, and Strikeforce Championships most recently added the FMS Super Welterweight Championship for Professional Boxing to her collection when she defeated former Brazilian National Champion Simone Silva by 8 round decision in her debut.

When asked about the Amanda Nunes fight, Cyborg hinted that her ultimate reason for leaving the UFC was pay and went on to say that if Amanda Nunes leaves the UFC the possibility of this rematch becomes an opportunity for the fans.  Nunes who has 5 defeats has only rematched Juliana Pena however her loses to Ana India, Sara Dalelio, Alexis Davis, and Cat Zingano which occurred inside of the Strikeforce, Invicta, and UFC promotions never were pursued by Nunes as a fight she was interested in.  Cyborg who initially campaigned for the immediate rematch after having gone 14 years undefeated was instead given the #1 contender Felicia Spencer who she dominated landing more significant strikes in 3 rounds than Nunes was able to land during the course of 5 rounds against the same opponent.  When the UFC could not guarantee that Amanda Nunes would make featherweight her next fight, and with no contenders in the rankings, Cris Cyborg eventually left as a Free Agent to Bellator MMA who has the #1 Featherweight division in the world.  With No Cross Promotion fights in the UFC fans will probably only see this rematch if Nunes finishes her contract and tests free agency.

Speaking on Katie Taylor, Cris Cyborg said it was an honor to be mentioned by her, even after only 1 professional boxing bout.  Katie Taylor fought this past weekend in London winning a 10 round decision and for fans to continue talking about a matchup against Katie Taylor is exciting for a possible crossover fight between the two Icons.  Katie Taylor who is considered thee #1 pound for pound female boxer by many is a former Olympic Gold Medalist and undefeated as a professional.  Regularly fighting at 135 lbs Katie Taylor would have to move up in weight to face Cris Cyborg who is the much larger boxer but only has 1 professional fight and no amateur experience as to Taylor who has over 200+ combined Pro/Am fights.

Kayla Harrison is another opponent fans have asked Cyborg to fight, and the PFL most recently went on Twitter to post claims of a fight offer, however Cyborg seemed more interested in the possibilities of a Cross Promotion which is something Bellator MMA has already successfully achieved with Rizin FF. Cyborg went on to say that she is most interested in seeing what type of PPV numbers Kayla Harrison is able to do with the PFL’s upcoming PPV event being headlined by Kayla Harrison against Larissa Pachecho a bout that Harrison has won two previous times and that is set to be the third matchup between the women.  Cyborg did say that Pachecho can offer problems with Kayla if she is able to stop the double leg takedown.

The current #1 contender Cat Zingano who most recently announced she will be fighting Cris Cyborg as early as February seemed to be the bout that most interested Cris Cyborg who is the current Bellator MMA Champion at 145lbs.  A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt Cris Cyborg will have to defend the takedown and prevent Cat Zingano from maintaining top position.  A decorated striker competing for the Lion Fight Muay Thai belt against Jorina Baars, and most recently winning the FMS Pro boxing belt, Cris Cyborg will look to keep the fight standing where 80% of her MMA victories have come by way of KO or TKO.  Cyborg who has been bullied by Cat Zingano with allegations of steroid use told Henry Cejudo that Zingano is a big fight and a great opponent for Brazil to host it’s first Bellator MMA event in the country.