Cris “Cyborg” Justino has waited a long time to have the words “UFC fighter” next to her name. Yet unlike some who play it cool in the lead up to such a monumental career moment, she is not downplaying her octagon debut against Leslie Smith this Saturday, a UFC 198 bout that just happens to be taking place in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.
“Every day when I run in the morning, I think about my fight, all my fans, the crowd,” she said. “This is with me every day now.”
The excitement is clear in her voice, simply because this was something that may not have ever become a reality.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said of the call to compete in the UFC. “It took two years. I feel very blessed for this opportunity and I’m very happy.”
For nearly eight years, Cyborg has been the most feared fighter in the world of women’s MMA. Her knockout victims include Shayna Baszler, Gina Carano and Marloes Coenen (twice) and her five fights in the Invicta FC promotion have resulted in five knockout wins, four in the first round and two in under a minute.
So with women gracing the octagon since 2013, what’s been the delay in bringing the 30-year-old to the promotion? The fact that the only two weight classes being showcased at the moment are the bantamweight (135 pounds) and strawweight (115 pounds) divisions. Cyborg is a 145-pound featherweight. But with fans demanding to see the Muay Thai destroyer, and with the Curitiba event being the perfect place for her debut, UFC presented Cyborg with an offer to fight Smith at a catchweight of 140 pounds.
It’s not easy for her to make the move, but it was an offer she couldn’t refuse either.
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Thumbnail photo via Instagram/@criscyborg
