Thursday, March 26, 2015

Cris Cyborg needs to stop talking and start cutting to 135lb

Yesterday it was announced that Cris Cyborg has signed with Zuffa. The catch is she needs to fight at 135lb in Invicta before the UFC will consider bringing her over. I've known about this for a while and I mentioned it in my Ronda Rousey vs Cat Zingano analysis. It's the same deal she turned down two years ago. The bottom line is she has wasted a lot of time and received a lot of bad advice. And as long as Cyborg keeps whining about this, I'm not convinced that she will ever drop to 135. That's why she needs to shut up and make the commitment that will make her a lot of money. This all started back in 2011 in Strikeforce when Ronda Rousey beat Julia Budd and announced plans to drop to 135lb and challenge Miesha Tate for her title. A month later, Cyborg beat HIROKO and said in her post match interview she would try to drop to 135 at the request of Strikeforce president Scott Coker. Then Cyborg was suspended for a year for testing positive for PEDs. In 2012, an attempt was made to reduce Cyborg's suspension so she could fight Ronda. The California State Athletic Commission denied that request. Then Zuffa closed Strikeforce and brought Ronda to the UFC. Obviously they wanted Cris Cyborg to be her first opponent. This is where things began to go south for Cyborg. At the time, her manager was Chute Boxe owner Rudimar Fedrigo. On his recommendation, she announced that she will try to drop to 135 but she would not be ready for the first women's fight in the UFC. The UFC even sent nutritionist Mike Dolce to meet with her. Then she changed management to a new company owned by UFC legend Tito Ortiz and his partner George Prajin. Ortiz made all kinds of outlandish statements including that doctors told Cyborg dropping to 135 would be hazardous to her health. Mike Dolce quickly refuted this in an interview. Zuffa offered her an eight fight deal and she would be allowed to fight in Invicta to prepare to fight in the UFC. Remember this is the same deal they are offering her now. And that was two years ago. So instead of signing two years ago, she signed with Invicta for less money. Though I have heard several excuses for this stupidity, the likely real reason is Ortiz let his animosity towards UFC president Dana White get in the way of common sense and his client's best interests. And he cost Cyborg two years of her career and a lot of money. Last year Ortiz announced he was stepping down as Cyborg's manager. But his partner Prajin is still listed as her manager. So Ortiz still manages her though he says he isn't. Obviously Lorenzo Fertitta wants to keep Cyborg away from Bellator. And it was known that her recent Invicta fight was Cyborg's final fight on her contract. So I was not surprised by the signing when I first heard about it last month. But the question still remains will she drop to 135. Her next fight in Invicta this summer will be at 145. That she keeps talking about doing this fight at a catchweight makes me doubt that she will ever drop to 135. Zuffa has even hired nutritionist George Lockhart to help her with the weight cut. And as long as Ortiz manages her, I expect his poor advice to her will continue. Two years is a long time in a fighter's career. Who has time to waste on this kind of foolishness? If Fedrigo was still Cyborg's manager, Rousey vs Cyborg would have happened already. This is mismanagement taken to a criminal level. Fighters need to know their business is handled professionally, not like this. So my message to Cris Cyborg is stop talking and start cutting weight to 135lb.

1 comment:

  1. I have a very strong feeling its simply not going to ever happen. If did not happen two years ago, it will not happen now. Bottom line a fight between these two Rousey and Cyborg is not going to ever happen.

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