Kayla Harrison Calls Out Cris Cyborg, Cyborg Hits Out At Dana White
At UFC 240, Cris Cyborg fought her last fight in the UFC. Going into her co-main event against Felicia Spencer, there was a lot of talk as to whether we would see Cyborg remain in the UFC post UFC 240, due to her strained relationship with UFC president, Dana White.
Despite beating Spencer and then stating in the post fight press conference that she wanted a rematch with Amanda Nunes, the relationship between the former UFC women’s featherweight champion and UFC boss worsened. Cyborg then posted an edited version of her conversation with Dana backstage at UFC 240 and a few days later, Dana released the Brazilian from the UFC. Cyborg has since deleted the video, posted the unedited conversation she had with Dana and apologised.
Despite the apology, Cyborg is now a free agent after the UFC waived its contractually obligated matching period, meaning that she is a free agent three months earlier than expected. Now the question is, where will the 34 year old fight next?
Bellator president Scott Coker has already shown an interest and now Kayla Harrison has called out Cyborg, hoping that she will sign for the PFL. Speaking to TMZ Sports (as transcribed by MMA Fighting), the two time Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison, says Cyborg would fit in perfectly at the PFL.
“I think that she would fit right in at the PFL. First of all it’s 155 pounds so she wouldn’t be dying to make the weight like she does at 145 and I think that there’s not really anybody else out there that’s gonna give her – I’m gonna beat Cris Cyborg if she comes to the PFL and I don’t think any other organisation can offer her that. Plus it’s a win, you fight, you move on type of atmosphere so she’s not gonna have to worry about the promoters liking her or not liking her which seems to be a big problem for her. If you win, you get to continue.”
Harrison would not only welcome Cyborg to the PFL, she would be confident of getting the win.
“I wouldn’t say it’s incredible striking. I’d say she’s big, she’s strong, she’s powerful but she doesn’t move her head, she comes straight forward, she’s definitely a brawler. My goal is to become the best MMA fighter in the world. It’s to become technical, it’s to become well-rounded so I’m working on all those details. I may not ever be the world’s best striker but I’m gonna be the world’s best MMA fighter and that means being able to put them all together in a very artistic fashion.”
With the PFL having a women’s lightweight division, it could be the perfect fit for Cyborg. And of course, Harrison would love to compete against her, as much as the fans would love to see it.
“Of course [I want that fight]! I shine brightest under the lights. The more pressure the better I do. There’s a reason I have two Olympic gold medals and it’s not a coincidence. I love the spotlight, I love to shine, I love the pressure. I feel like we grow at the edges of our experience and when we’re uncomfortable, is when we’re growing and that’s what I want to do. I want to be the best possible version of Kayla I can be.”
Although cyborg may have apologised to Dana for posting the edited video of their conversation to make him look bad, while replying to some comments on a recent post on Instagram, she hit out again at her former boss.
“Dana didn’t want to give me the rematch, only a six-fight contract, and the UFC unfortunately doesn’t have girls in my division,” Cyborg wrote in Portuguese (as translated my MMA Fighting). “I’d die in the UFC without fighting, and still being defamed, so the best option would be see other promotions that have my division, where I could fight more often. Who knows, maybe one day Amanda and I will rematch. No one knows what tomorrow might bring, God’s the one who makes my plans.”
She went on to say of Dana, “I believe a guy with dark soul” and that he has “an unexplained anger against me and he knows how important I’m going to be for another promotion”.
To make things more interesting, just minutes ago, Cyborg took to Twitter to say that Dana will be speaking to her management Paradigm Sports Managemnet, tomorrow.
Where would you like to see Cris Cyborg fight next? Would you like to see her fight Kayla Harrison in the PFL?
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