Forget Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm and Miesha Tate. We’re now in the UFC’s Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino era.
The Invicta FC featherweight champion made her Octagon debut against Leslie Smith Saturday at UFC 198 and it was about as dominant a performance as you’ll see in mixed martial arts in 2016.
Smith is known for her durability just like training partners Nick and Nate Diaz, but Cyborg went through the American as easily as a hydraulic press goes through a hockey puck.
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“JUST. LIKE. THAT!! @criscyborg wins at #UFC198!”
Cyborg was a massive favourite heading into the bout and for good reason. It only took the Brazilian 81 seconds to finish Smith with strikes in front of 45,000 fans at Arena da Baixada in her home city of Curitiba.
She didn’t simply overpower Smith either. Cyborg’s aggression, technique and accuracy made for a perfect storm of violence.
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This good or nah? #UFC198pic.twitter.com/AAg7qNR343
At 16-1 with one no contest (14 of those wins have been by KO/TKO) Cyborg hasn’t lost since her professional debut back in 2005. Many in the fight community feel she has been the best pound-for-pound fighter in women’s MMA for years. Even when Rousey was at the height of her dominance and appeared invincible, a large number of fans and pundits believed Cyborg was better.
One reason she had never fought in the UFC in the past was because she doesn’t compete at bantamweight (135 pounds), which is the UFC’s premier weight class for its female athletes. The 30-year-old is the most physically intimidating fighter in the women’s 145-pound division and often struggles to make that weight limit. Until recently, UFC officials hadn’t been open to her competing anywhere other than at bantamweight. Her scrap with Smith, however, was at a 140-pound catchweight.
The additional pounds Cyborg needed to shed didn’t appear to impede her skill set whatsoever. Sure, it was a struggle to make weight but she got there. In fact, Cyborg could have weighed in at 141 pounds since fighters in non-title bouts are given a one-pound allowance. Instead, she stepped on the scale weighing 139 pounds. That’s just four pounds away from what she would need to weigh in order to challenge for the UFC’s bantamweight title.
It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Cyborg is willing to attempt to cut those additional pounds and what the UFC might have in store for her going forward. She did mention at the post-fight press conference that she plans on defending her Invicta title and doing more UFC catchweight bouts. That could change depending on what the UFC decides to offer her — especially if they dangle a title shot.
The bantamweight belt is currently held by Tate, who took it from Holm, who took it from Rousey.
Cyborg can beat them all.
Back in 2009, when Gina Carano was the face of women’s MMA, Cyborg pummelled her in their memorable Strikeforce encounter. If she gets the chance to fight either Rousey, Holm or Tate — the current faces of women’s MMA — we could see history repeat itself.
