Cris Cyborg: Women's MMA will survive without UFC or Strikeforce

This artical was written by Guilherme Cruz

Strikeforce has just announced a title fight between Cris Cyborg and Hiroko Yamanaka for December 17th in San Diego, CA. In this exclusive interview with Tatame, Cyborg reflects on the state of women's MMA.

Guilherme Cruz: It’ll be your first fight since UFC purchased Strikeforce. What do you think will be different?

Cris Cyborg: I guess that, if there’s something, it’s a better thing. UFC is the biggest MMA event of all, so I’m happy about this fight I’ll be doing in December. It’s a great chance for me, I’ll show my work and put on a good show, open the doors to women. The name’s changed, but it doesn’t matter because I already used to take it seriously, I used to pour my heart out to win. Now the boss has changed, but I’ll keep doing what I used to do before.

GC: Do you feel any kind of pressure due to the fact you’re considered by many as the best pound for pound of the world?

CC: I’ve been winning my fights and that’s the consequence of a hard work done. It’s another important fight in my career, and it’s important because I haven’t fought for like a year now. It’s important to open some doors to female MMA, but I don’t see it as a pressure. I guess it’s a great chance for me to show my work.

GC: People talk about Strikeforce closes next year, especially now UFC is taking the good athletes from it. What do you think they’ll do about the female divisions?

CC: I guess female MMA won’t be extinct. I don’t know if we’ll fight in UFC or not. Everybody’s dream is that it keeps opened, but I guess MMA won’t end if UFC doesn’t want us. Girls will keep on fighting it, training and then will come up an event that will want to give us that chance. It’s on the hands of God and the producers to keep on believing in female MMA, my role is to do what I always do: put on a good show, representing women and fight better and better each time. But I believe that women are getting better and putting on good shows.

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