‘She’s very frustrated’ – Cris Cyborg claims Ronda Rousey never wanted super-fight and is still struggling with UFC exit
Ronda Rousey once called a potential matchup with Cris Cyborg ‘the biggest MMA fight of all-time.’
Many fans agreed, but much to their disappointment, the fight never came to fruition, and still hasn’t.
However, the combat sports world has proved more unpredictable than ever in the last two years.
From a Mike Tyson return to the Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn rivalry, as well as Jake Paul‘s upcoming fight with Anthony Joshua, it seems like anything goes in today’s fighting landscape, as long as the money is there.
Just this week, reports suggested Rousey was in talks with boxing’s female superstar Katie Taylor to make a stunning comeback in the ring — one the latter said she was ‘very open’ to taking.
Even UFC champions like Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira are constantly being linked to lucrative fights in the ring, with boxing’s heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk repeatedly saying he’d make the opposite switch to MMA.
So, why have we still never had Cyborg vs Rousey?
Cris Cyborg: Ronda Rousey used my name for attention
“I don’t believe she has even thought about [fighting me] in her whole life,” Cyborg told talkSPORT.com ahead of her return at PFL Lyon on December 13.
Cyborg, 40, faces Sara Collins for the PFL women’s featherweight title in the co-main event on the night as the former UFC champion nears the end of her illustrious career.
“I know she was calling my name a lot, but this is a strategy people use,” Cyborg added.
“For 20 years in my career, people have been calling my name. Before Ronda started fighting, I was already champion in MMA.
“She’s calling my name just for people to give attention to her. She wouldn’t actually like to fight me, but this is marketing.
“People are smart with this strategy – I wish the best for her.”
Rousey, 38, has been discussing a fight with Cyborg since the early 2010s, just before she became the first-ever female UFC champion.
Both females had won gold under the Strikeforce banner at the time before the company merged with the UFC in March 2011.
Rousey would go on to become arguably the biggest combat sports star on the planet during her reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
Cyborg had similar success too, winning the UFC women’s featherweight title in 2017 and defending it twice before dropping it to the great Amanda Nunes.
Falling at the hands of Nunes is one thing Rousey can say she also experienced.
After making five UFC title defences, ‘Rowdy’ was shockingly knocked out by Holly Holm in November 2015 and failed to bounce back in her comeback fight against Nunes 13 months later.
Rousey has recalled many times being overcome with emotions during that period, and in October she criticised MMA fans and members of the media, including Joe Rogan, for turning their backs on her after those back-to-back defeats.
The UFC Hall of Famer’s comments came amid speculation about a return to her beloved sport, and these rumours have heightened in the last few months following the announcement of UFC White House.
Many looked at Rousey’s remarks as someone looking to get back into the limelight, but to Cyborg, her criticism of the MMA world is a sign of something deeper.
Rousey still hasn’t got over UFC defeats, says Cyborg
“I believe she’s very frustrated,” Cyborg said.
“It’s easy to blame others… She’s never come to terms with her loss in her heart.
“One of the things you learn when you’re fighting is that if you lose, if you fall seven times, we stand up eight times.
“It’s very sad that when you stop fighting and you lose the fight, you don’t have this opportunity to overcome [the defeat].
“I believe this is what she has in her heart, and fans get a little bit upset.
“People love your personality and the message that you can give to them.
“Maybe this is not the message they like when you lose and stop fighting, quit.”
Cyborg was always a weight class above Rousey when both women were in their prime.
The Brazilian said during the height of their rivalry that Rousey should come up to her division, or fight at catchweight to give the fans what they desired.
However, Rousey claimed Cyborg was using steroids at the time and refused to meet her rival’s demands, which caused the latter to go after the American with lawyers for slander.
“Maybe she feels like the fans didn’t welcome to her. But no, I believe she’s something in her head,” Cyborg concluded.
“I believe she did a lot for sports, and it is gonna be amazing if she really overcomes all the losses and comes back fighting.
“She’s gonna show the young girls that you can lose. Yeah, it can happen all the time. My friend says, ‘Life is no strawberry.’
“It’s gonna have rough, hard times, and you have to overcome. I have had hard times in my career and overcome them.
“I have a lot of hard times. You have to be fighting the system the whole time and keep going.
“This motivates young girls to make change, and then I don’t know. I hope the best for her.
“I hope she’s put her head right and does what is best for her.”
With Cyborg now at the end of her career, Rousey reportedly looking to make a return, and the amount of money involved in combat sports today, it seems like the perfect time to make the fight over 10 years in the making.
But it remains unlikely that Rousey vs Cyborg, which once held a similar allure to a fight like Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao, will ever go down.
Rousey has also been linked to a fight with Gina Carano, known as the ‘face of women’s MMA.’
On the same day Rousey’s talks with Taylor over a boxing bout came to light, Carano posted footage online of her hitting pads back in the gym.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
