For Cris Cyborg, her reign atop the world of female MMA has ended.
Amanda Nunes, the UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion, ended Cyborg’s run in the No. 1 position when she knocked her out last year.
But that doesn’t mean Cyborg can’t return to that role.
For starters, the Brazilian needs to bounce back this Saturday night at UFC 240 when she meets Felicia Spencer in the co-main event. The opponent is a prime one for Cyborg to pick off, which could spring-board her right into a rematch with Nunes.
The UFC has stated they want to put the two together once more. UFC president Dana White appears to be on board. Nunes recently talked about the fight and expressed her desire to meet Cyborg for a second time.
But is it what Cyborg wants?
Since the loss to Nunes, Cyborg has been very vocal in letting it be known that this coming bout will complete her current UFC contract. It would be foolish to think that Bellator, ONE Championship and just about any other promotion out there would not be coming after Cyborg, the free agent.
The amount of money Cyborg could make in ONE might be endless, and Bellator has continued to do a tremendous job promoting female MMA just like the UFC.
But for the sake of Cyborg’s legacy, she needs to remain inside the Octagon and she needs to come to an agreement on a rematch with Nunes.
For us all to remember Cyborg as the dominating female figure of the sport, she needs to avenge that loss, prove it with a win in the likely rubber match vs. Nunes and go out on top.
UFC 240 will also feature Max Holloway defending his featherweight title against former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar live on ESPN+ pay-per-view from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.