In the main event of UFC 222 Cris Cyborg defends her 145 lb belt and destroys Yana Kunitskaya. Cris Cyborg demonstrates just an entirely different level of strength and power between the two fighters. Yana Kunitskaya, the former 135 lb Invicta champion comes up to 145 lb to fight Cris Cyborg and from the first overhand right that Cyborg threw, the fight was basically over.
Cris Cyborg dropped Yana Kunitskaya with her first overhand right. As Kunitskaya fell, she fell into an ankle pick, getting an ankle pick take down on Cyborg. But Cyborg was able to quickly get back on her feet. Both did a little bit of wall work and clinch work against the fence, and Kunitskaya was working hard to try to control Cyborg, but she was nowhere near strong enough to try to deal with someone with the power of Cris Cyborg. Cris Cyborg separated and created some space, and then hit Kunitskaya with another overhand . Kunitskaya just turned away, as most female fighters do when exposed to that kind of power.
It exemplifies the difference between the kind of training that Cris Cyborg does compared to just about any other female fighters, except for perhaps Amanda Nuñez. Most female fighters don’t spar full speed with male fighters, but without a doubt, Cris Cyborg does. She spars full speed with men who are actually larger than her. Her level of power and strength that she has is just far beyond that of any other female fighter in the UFC. Not even Amanda Nuñez, who Cris Cyborg called out at the end of the fight, because Nuñez called out Cyborg, wants a competitor like Cyborg in her life. Cris Cyborg’s striking is just too powerful. It’s not the most technical, but she is pretty crisp with her boxing. If her overhand right finds it’s target most any female fighter is going to go down, just like Kunitskaya shyed away when feeling that kind of power.
So the question is, where does Cris Cyborg go from here, as the greatest women’s fighter of all time. We’ll have to see if a real 145 lb fighter appears in MMA and can give Cyborg a real run for her money. But right now, there really are just no challengers for such a dominant champion.
Article courtesy of Hollywood Joe Tussing
