Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino has made her first step towards a fight in the UFC.
On Monday’s MMA Hour, Invicta president Shannon Knapp announced that at Invicta FC 15 on January 16th, Justino would probably be facing Cindy Dandois at 140lbs.
Coming off a knockout victory (her fourth straight) over Faith Van Duin in July, Invicta Featherweight champion Justino (14-1-1) appears to be decreasing in weight in an attempt to make the smaller bantamweight divisions limit of 135lbs.
Despite noting that plans could change, Knapp intends the person standing on the other side of the cage to be Cindy Dandois (6-2), who won her previous fight by submission against Megan Anderson.
Dandois and Cyborg have actually exchanged words, with the former making disparaging comments about the champion as she started her MMA career in 2010. In an interview with SchenkMMA, Dandois said about Justino:
“She does really look like a man, and she does hit as hard as a man. She has got no boobs, a lot of muscles and arms more strong [than] her husband’s arms. Nobody can deny that, I only wasn’t afraid to say it. That doesn’t mean that I don’t respect her. That’s just the truth!”
Apparently only having just heard the comments, Cyborg responded with some tweets directed towards Dandois last month.
The fight however, isn’t just about bad blood between the two.
Cyborg has had a prolonged public debate with both the UFC and ex Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey about her ability to cut the sufficient weight to reach 135lbs, with the Brazilian claiming she was simply too big and that Rousey was scared to face her. Rousey, on the other hand, has stated that if Cyborg were to ‘stop taking steroids’, it wouldn’t be an issue.
Cyborg has been discussing the idea of a test cut and fight at 140lbs, before attempting to maintain a smaller frame and eventually meet Ronda at 135lbs. With this fight against Dandois, it appears we will be given a chance to judge the potential of that fight taking place.
The Super-Fight has, of course, received an enormous setback with Rousey’s recent loss to Holly Holm. A fight between the two was rumoured to be eyed for UFC 200 in July of next year, but whether those plans have been scuppered in exchange for Rousey’s rematch with Holm is unknown.
