Just as when Germaine de Randamie was getting crowned as the first ever UFC women's featherweight champion, Cris "Cyborg" Justino was shown on the camera with a cheeky smile on her face being just a few feet away from the action in Octagon.
Cyborg has been the reigning queen at 145-pounds for the better part of a decade after demolishing almost all opponents who stepped into the cage with her, which included stints with several promotions Strikeforce and Invicta FC. It was very recently that she made her UFC debut while competing at 140-pounds.
Unfortunately, due to rigorous weight cuts involved with getting down to 140-pounds, Cyborg was in no state to accept a fight from Randamie or Holly Holm at UFC 208. Regardless of the title winner, Cyborg has a strong message to de Randamie saying she is still the best women's fighter on the planet. ESPN and Fox Sports have both ranked her No.1 pound-for-pound in women's mixed martial arts, she hasn't lost in 10 years, claims Cyborg.
Until someone beats her, she is the No.1 in the world no matter what belt is around her waist, claims Cyborg. As she was unable to take a fight, so it was not that difficult for her to sit and watch de Randamie fight with Holm for the title but she clearly knows that the championship belt doesn't necessarily make one the best fighter.
The title fight at UFC 208 was a closely fought bout with de Randamie edging out Holm after five rounds. After the loss, Holm stated that she deserved the victory, but Cyborg agrees with the judges' decision to give de Randamie the championship.
Once the fight got over, Champion de Randamie was immediately asked about a fight with Cyborg, she replied saying she's headed for hand surgery to fix some existing ligament damage, although she welcomed the challenge to defend the title against Cyborg at the Octagon.
Cyborg also suggested that if de Randamie isn't ready to fight soon then she would gladly welcome Invicta FC interim featherweight champion Megan Anderson to the UFC with a matchup at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June.
Currently, Cyborg is provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance from an out-of-competition sample collected by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency). In response, she is currently in the process of applying for a retroactive therapeutic use exemption for the drug that was administered by her physician. White recently spoke about the issue and was confident that Cyborg will be cleared and she would return to the action very soon.
Finally, when Cyborg was asked about a statement to send to de Randamie, who will clearly be the target for her after she gets cleared to fight in the UFC. "Let's go Champ," says Cyborg.
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