Cyborg: I think next fight will be my last in the UFC

UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is the best fighter in women’s mixed martial arts history. However, she has clashed with UFC management a number of times over a number of issues. One central issue is that Cyborg is the champion of a division that exists in belt only. The league is devoting the next season of The Ultimate Fighter to male heavyweights and female featherweights, but during a recent appearance on Combate News Cyborg said she was not impressed with the selections.

The UFC selected eight featherweights – Marciea Allen, Macy Chiasson, Pannie Kianzad, Katharina Lehner, Leah Letson, Bea Malecki, Larissa Pacheco, and Julija Stoliarenko. Six of the eight have fought most of the career at bantamweight. So the group could largely be readily folded into 135 if the UFC drops 145.

They are doing the TUF house and cut all the girls from 145, said Cyborg, as translated by Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting. They only added girls that can make 135. Holly Holm said she doesn’t want to fight now. There’s Pam Sorenson, she tried out for TUF and didn’t make it, I think they didn’t add her because she can’t make 135. There’s Cindy Dandois, who beat Megan Anderson as well. There’s Ediane Gomes, who sends me messages challenging me all the time, who is also from my division.

There are girls that can fight, from my division. But they don’t want that, they only want me to fight Amanda. But we have to wait 10 months, almost a year to make this fight happen.

A superfight vs. bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is another point of contention. ‘The Lioness’ wants the fight on 12/29 in Vegas, while Cyborg wants to fight on 9/8.

I think this fight will be my last in the UFC, because my contract expires in March, said Cyborg. “Doing this fight in December, I think it will be the last that people will see me fight.