MMA Rumors: Cris Cyborg Not Interested In Fighting Ronda Rousey, ‘I Think Her Coach Is Crazy’
Former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been out of the world of mixed martial arts for more than a year, and most people believe she won’t be returning again to the Octagon. However, if MMA coach Edmond Tarverdyan gets his way, “Rowdy” will fight one last time against the perfect opponent, UFC women’s featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg.
In September, coach Edmond Tarverdyan talked about the potential return of Ronda Rousey in the Octagon after suffering an embarrassing loss to UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. According to MMA Fighting, Tarverdyan hopes Rousey will consider a comeback fight against Cris Cyborg. Tarverdyan believes Cyborg is the ideal opponent for Rousey. He said that his fighter can beat Cyborg since she’s “too slow.”
In an appearance at media day for UFC 218, Cris Cyborg responded to Tarverdyan’s claim that Ronda Rousey would be a worthy challenger for her. The reigning UFC women’s featherweight champion said she’s not interested in fighting Rousey unless she manages to bring back the invincible “Rowdy.”
“I think Ronda has to do more fights,” Cyborg said, via MMA Fighting. “I think her coach is crazy. She should get back to training if she’d like to fight and then I think she’s supposed to be making more fights. [Maybe before Rousey lost,] we could make this fight. I don’t want to fight someone — she’s already lost two times, why am I going to beat someone already down? She can make more fights and then maybe we can make this fight for our fans.”
Since Ronda Rousey became an MMA champion, Cris Cyborg has been eyeing to fight her in the Octagon. Unfortunately, the fight didn’t happen due to several issues, including Cyborg’s usage of performance-enhancing drugs. Before Rousey suffered her second consecutive loss, UFC president Dana White originally planned to schedule a fight between her and Cyborg at 145 pounds. Unfortunately, the idea was scrapped after Amanda Nunes dismantled the former queen of the UFC.
As of now, Cris Cyborg remains focused on her upcoming fight against Holly Holm at UFC 219. Cyborg believes beating Holm also counts as a win against Ronda Rousey. Cyborg knows most MMA fans want to see she and Rousey fight, but believes “Rowdy” should prove herself first before challenging her for the title.
So far, Rousey has not given any details regarding her MMA future since losing to Nunes. However, UFC president Dana White revealed that Rousey has not retired. If she’s still interested in fighting Cyborg, Rousey should engage in an intense training to give the fans an exciting match.
