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KO'd in Round 1 at UFC 232
Cyborg was defeated by Amanda Nunes via KO (punch) at 0:51 of Round 1 at UFC 232 on Saturday in Los Angeles.
ANALYSIS
This was a wild fight. Both fighters came out swinging. Nunes was too fast for Cyborg and tagged her immediately. Cyborg was rocked. To her credit, Cyborg kept throwing, but Nunes continually landed punches and eventually put Cyborg down.
This was a wild fight. Both fighters came out swinging. Nunes was too fast for Cyborg and tagged her immediately. Cyborg was rocked. To her credit, Cyborg kept throwing, but Nunes continually landed punches and eventually put Cyborg down.
Fight versus Nunes now official
Cyborg will officially fight Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas, Ariel Helwani of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
This superfight has been in the works for quite some time now, though a deal was always expected to get done. With a date now set, Cyborg, who owns a 20-1 career record, will be set to take on a very tough challenger in Nunes, who has won seven consecutive fights and is the current Bantamweight champion. Cyborg herself is a champion as well, currently sitting at the top of the Featherweight class and also widely considered to be the No. 1 female fighter in the world, so this should be a highly anticipated battle between a couple of the women's top maulers. Both fighters stand 5-foot-8, though Nunes will enter the fith with a one-inch reach advantage.
This superfight has been in the works for quite some time now, though a deal was always expected to get done. With a date now set, Cyborg, who owns a 20-1 career record, will be set to take on a very tough challenger in Nunes, who has won seven consecutive fights and is the current Bantamweight champion. Cyborg herself is a champion as well, currently sitting at the top of the Featherweight class and also widely considered to be the No. 1 female fighter in the world, so this should be a highly anticipated battle between a couple of the women's top maulers. Both fighters stand 5-foot-8, though Nunes will enter the fith with a one-inch reach advantage.
Working toward date for Nunes fight
Cyborg (20-1-0) and Amanda Nunes (16-4-0) have agreed to fight, but the featherweight and bantamweight champions have yet to settle on a date for the showdown, Damon Martin of MMANYTT.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The UFC has been teasing a superfight between the two champions for a while now, and it appears negotiations still remain ongoing. If the two fighters' respective Twitter accounts are any indication, Cyborg prefers to stage the fight at UFC 228 in Dallas on Sept. 8, while Nunes has already signed a bout agreement at UFC 232 in Las Vegas on Dec. 29. It's expected that a matchup between the two will eventually come to fruition, but one of the fighters may have to make a concession before it becomes a reality. Cyborg's last fight came at UFC 222 in March, when she scored a TKO win over Yana Kunitskaya.
The UFC has been teasing a superfight between the two champions for a while now, and it appears negotiations still remain ongoing. If the two fighters' respective Twitter accounts are any indication, Cyborg prefers to stage the fight at UFC 228 in Dallas on Sept. 8, while Nunes has already signed a bout agreement at UFC 232 in Las Vegas on Dec. 29. It's expected that a matchup between the two will eventually come to fruition, but one of the fighters may have to make a concession before it becomes a reality. Cyborg's last fight came at UFC 222 in March, when she scored a TKO win over Yana Kunitskaya.
Hints at transition to boxing
Cyborg told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that she has two more fights on her UFC deal and then wants to transition to boxing.
ANALYSIS
Cyborg was in attendance at Saturday's boxing event at the StubHub Center in California, as she's reportedly considering Cecilia Braekhus (who defeated Kali Reis via unanimous decision) as a potential opponent. Prior to that, however, Cyborg will have to complete her UFC deal, which will likely include facing the winner of a June matchup between Megan Anderson and Holly Holm, in addition to potentially facing current bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Cyborg won't turn 33 until July, so there is seemingly enough time to give boxing a shot while still leaving the door open for a return to MMA later in her career.
Cyborg was in attendance at Saturday's boxing event at the StubHub Center in California, as she's reportedly considering Cecilia Braekhus (who defeated Kali Reis via unanimous decision) as a potential opponent. Prior to that, however, Cyborg will have to complete her UFC deal, which will likely include facing the winner of a June matchup between Megan Anderson and Holly Holm, in addition to potentially facing current bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Cyborg won't turn 33 until July, so there is seemingly enough time to give boxing a shot while still leaving the door open for a return to MMA later in her career.
Destroys Yana Kunitskaya, easily defends title at UFC 222
Cyborg easily retained her UFC Women's Featherweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (punches) at 3:25 of Round 1 at UFC 222 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Cyborg is quickly approaching Demetrious Johnson territory. That means she has all but cleaned out her division and her popularity and ability to drive ratings could easily decline because the company cannot find a legitimate challenger for her title. It's not as if Kunitskaya deserved an opportunity, but the UFC had no other choice. They created the division to have Cyborg as it's champion and two title defenses later, they are all but out of options. As she showed once again on Saturday, Cyborg has twice as much power in her hands as any woman on the roster. Someone will beat her eventually because that's how this sport works, but good luck guessing who it will be. It would be pointless to speculate on Cyborg's next challenger because there is no one that makes obvious sense at the moment.
Cyborg is quickly approaching Demetrious Johnson territory. That means she has all but cleaned out her division and her popularity and ability to drive ratings could easily decline because the company cannot find a legitimate challenger for her title. It's not as if Kunitskaya deserved an opportunity, but the UFC had no other choice. They created the division to have Cyborg as it's champion and two title defenses later, they are all but out of options. As she showed once again on Saturday, Cyborg has twice as much power in her hands as any woman on the roster. Someone will beat her eventually because that's how this sport works, but good luck guessing who it will be. It would be pointless to speculate on Cyborg's next challenger because there is no one that makes obvious sense at the moment.