Cris Cyborg Set To Challenge Julia Budd For Featherweight Title

Cris Cyborg and Julia Budd are set to face each other for the Bellator Featherweight Championship according to reports. Cyborg signed with Bellator MMA earlier this month, and the Budd called out the former UFC Featherweight Champion, setting up a mouth-watering clash in the featherweight division.

According to ESPN, Cris Cyborg will make her Bellator MMA on January 25th at The Forum in Inglewood, California, when she will challenge Julia Budd for the featherweight strap. Cyborg was released from the UFC after her UFC 240 bout against Felicia Spencer, after Cris and the UFC President Dana White butted heads on social media.

Shortly following the bout, Cyborg’s team released a video which did not sit well with White. The UFC president then announced that he was “out of the Cyborg business”, releasing Cris from her contract. Dana and Cyborg had also provided conflicting stories about Cris wanting to rematch Amanda Nunes for the featherweight title.

Cyborg (21-2-1 MMA) lost to Amanda Nunes in December last year, which was also her first and only UFC loss — and her first loss in nearly a decade and a half. Cris is considered by many to be the most dominant MMA fighter in history, but was released from the UFC before she could rematch Nunes.

Julia Budd (13-2 MMA) has won all of her previous eleven fights, and won the Bellator Featherweight title back in 2017. Budd’s two losses came against Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes back in 2011, when she was competing under the Strikeforce banner.

Bellator MMA is expected to formally announce the title fight during the Bellator 228 broadcast on Saturday.

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