‘Cris Cyborg’s Invincibility Made Fighters Leave Division’ – Megan Anderson
An era of dominance came to an end at UFC 232, when Amanda Nunes seemingly did the unthinkable. The bantamweight champion dropped Cris Cyborg in the very first round, and stopped the former featherweight champion. Cyborg was never stopped until then, and Nunes became the first ever woman in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously.
Nunes’ win over Cyborg provides a new lease for the female 145’ers, and Australian Megan Anderson, who was tipped to fight Cyborg in the past, revealed that other featherweights had actually left the division because of the aura surrounding Cyborg.
Talking to Luke Thomas on The MMA Hour (transcript via MMAFighting), Anderson said that Nunes’ win can be nothing but good news for the other fighters.
“I honestly think people are scared to fight her and that’s why they don’t stay in this division. And I think with Amanda showing that there are people out there that have potential and that not everyone is invincible, I hope it shows people that they can stay in this division and start building it.”
“That was an amazing fight. Holy shit! We were all in the green room f*cking yelling and that’s what Amanda needed to do. That was her key to victory. She had to make Cris respect her power and she did that in devastating fashion.”
Anderson also expressed her frustration regarding UFC’s vision for the women’s featherweight division, highlighting the fact that the promotion has so far failed to add more talent to a barren division.
“If they dissolve the division, they dissolve the division. They haven’t really made it very obvious that they’re wanting to build it considering the TUF season, they’re not signing anyone and the ones that they are, they’re signing to 135. So if they’re going to dissolve it, then just tell us.”
Open To Fighting Cat Zingano Again – Megan Anderson
Anderson’s last fight with Cat Zingano ended in controversy, with Megan stopping “Alpha” by TKO. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that Anderson’s toe poked Cat in the eye, resulting in the stoppage. However, Megan is more than happy to grant Zingano a rematch, to put the controversy to bed.
“I hope that I can get the chance to fight Amanda next. Do I think I will? Probably not. I have no idea what’s in store for me next. I would love to fight Amanda. I love that fight. I would love to fight Cris as well. And if people feel like I need to fight Cat again and prove myself then I’ll fight her as well. I have no idea what’s gonna happen next and I think it’s going to make for an interesting 2019.”
“I do not have any injuries and I definitely would like to fight in the first quarter of next year and I just really hope that I’ve proven to the UFC that — and I hope that I can use my platform — to show them that there are stars being being built in this division, that there are people that are marketable, that they can use and build with and fight and put on performances, albeit controversially. But I really hope that they start signing some featherweights and that they do really start to invest in this division.”