Duel Against Ronda Rousey Never Happened, Cris Cyborg: UFC Had A Chance, But It Wasn't Their Goal

Cris Cyborg (Instagram @criscyborg)

JAKARTA - The proposed super-fight between UFC superstar Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg, which was the consensus female MMA GOAT at the time, was one of the most talked-about fights of the early 2010s.

Cyborg claims to have been offered a fight against Rousey in late 2015. However, as we see, that never happened.

Since then, these two women have taken different paths. Cyborg retired from the UFC in 2020 and is now the defending Bellator featherweight champion.

Rousey, meanwhile, left mixed martial arts after two humiliating defeats, switched to WWE pro wrestling, and gave birth to her first child in September.

Looking back on her three-year career with the UFC, Cyborg believes the organization couldn't have booked Rousey's fight in the first place.

"I don't think it was ever the goal to make this fight happen," Cyborg said in Monday's studio appearance at MMA Hour. "But they have a chance. They have the opportunity to stage this match.

"Maybe they protected her, maybe she didn't want to fight me and you can't force her, but I don't think that was ever the goal of the UFC."

Cyborg, now 36, also spoke about her final months with the UFC and how rumors of her re-signing fizzled out.

"I had a lot of things that never happened," she said. "Me and Ronda, me and Amanda for the second fight, we never had a rematch. But this doesn't change my legacy. You don't have to worry about something you can't control. There's nothing you can do.

"I think I had great moments at the UFC. I'm very grateful to all my fans, to everyone who works at the UFC, to Dana White, and to everyone who gave me the opportunity there".

With free agency looming, Cris Cyborg targets a boxing match or a big name 🥊

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— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 29, 2022