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Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will fight again on January 16th, 2016, according to Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. Although a weight class wasn’t mentioned, Cyborg is likely to face Cindy Dandois in the event, which will take place in Costa Mesa, California.
No Longer Moving Down
Cris Justino was working to making a 140-pound debut at the end of the year, hoping to prove that she could make 135 pounds and set up a mega bout with former UFC women’s bantamweight Ronda Rousey in 2016. But after Rousey’s stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 earlier this month, Justino reportedly is no longer interested in doing the weight cut. According to her manager George Prajin, Cyborg was already having a hard time making 140 pounds, let alone 135. And now that the mega bout is dead, she is more interested in cementing her legacy as the 145-pound staple in women’s MMA.
Disappointed With Rogan
Prajin also added that Justino was disappointed with UFC commentator Joe Rogan’s ugly remarks about her during a podcast, saying that Rogan’s actions were irresponsible considering that he is a UFC employee and could be calling her next fight if she fights in the UFC soon. Rogan’s comments, coupled with Ronda Rousey’s defeat, have made Justino reconsider moving down in weight and even fighting in the UFC, according to Prajin.
Chasing The Rousey Fight
Justino is the former Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight champion and the fighter to retire Gina Carano, the acknowledged original face of Women’s MMA, in 2009 with a first round KO. She is 14-1, 1 no-contest in the cage with 12 KOs. She has not been beaten since losing her MMA debut in Brazil at Show Fight 2 in 2005. She was regarded as the only remaining legitimate threat to Ronda Rousey’s dominant reign as champion although a fight between the two was never really made because they were fighting in different weight classes. The UFC had always insisted that if such fight were to be made, it had to be at 135 pounds since the promotion doesn’t have a women’s featherweight class.
Justino’s next opponent, Dandois, is a featherweight at Invicta. She has a record of 6-2 with four finishes and is coming off a second round submission win over Megan Anderson last September. The 31-year old Belgian is known as “The Battlecat” and fights for Perfect Team.
