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Cris Cyborg didn’t get the big fight she was looking for. She got the main event billing anyway.
Main Event Status
Cyborg, real name Cristiane Justino, will be making her second UFC appearance on September 24th, 2016. And it’s not just on the main card. The current Invicta FC lightweight champion will be headlining UFC Fight night 95 in Brasilia, Brazil. Cyborg will be facing promotional newcomer Lana Lansberg in yet another 140-pound bout. This was made official by UFC Brazil on Thursday:
É OFICAIL! @criscyborg fará a luta principal do #UFCBrasília, 24 de setembro. Saiba mais > https://t.co/OWylweiUwq pic.twitter.com/6lCc8bfF8G
— UFC BRASIL (@ufc_brasil) August 4, 2016
Fighting At Catchweight
Cyborg made her first UFC appearance at UFC 198. But because the UFC doesn’t have a lightweight division, she fought Leslie Smith at a catchweight of 140 pounds. That bout ended quickly with Cyborg disposing of a game Smith in the first round.
Since that victory, Justino has been campaigning for a big fight against the UFC’s top female bantamweights. Specifically, she’s been targeting former UFC women’s bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey but every call out by the Brazilian has failed to lure Rowdy out of hiatus. Cyborg was also previously linked to catchweight bouts with former immediate champions Miesha Tate and Holly Holm but those two never materialized.
Cyborg has longed to pit herself against the best women in the UFC, but because of weight difference, she’s been shunned like a plague. Aside from the weight difference, Cyborg is one of the most feared fighters in the sport and the most avoided fighters in the history of MMA. She has compiled a career record of 16-1 with 1 no-contest. However, she hasn’t lost since 2005 and has won every bout since 2008 by knockout. Her victories from 2013 to present have been by first round stoppages.
New Girl On The Block
The woman brave enough to agree to fight Cyborg is promotional newcomer Lana Lansing who has a 6-1 MMA record. After losing her pro debut against current Invicta FC fighter Pannie Kianzad in 2012, Lansing has won six bouts in succession. Four of those victories were by knockout, including a significant one over another Invicta FC veteran in Laura Howarth.
Also fighting on the UFC Fight Night 95 card are heavyweights Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva. Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao will also be fighting in the undercard. Barao will be facing Philippe Nover.
