Everyone is campaigning for a fight between Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
But first, Rousey must make her return to the Octagon at UFC 207 in December, where she faces current title holder Amanda Nunes for the belt. If Rousey can reclaim the title, perhaps a bout with Cyborg will be in the books.
However, if there are once again issues making the Rousey vs. Cyborg bout happen, there is at least one prominent woman’s bantamweight contender willing to take on Cyborg.
Enter former champion Miesha Tate, who has said multiple times that she would be willing to face Cyborg in a catchweight bout.
“When I was the champ, they told me that they would not … do a catchweight, so either she has to meet you at 135 or you have to not be the champion,” Tate said on The MMA Hour, via MMAFighting.com. “So now that I’m not the champion, I technically could fight her at 140. I wouldn’t be against it. The thing is, I just feel like I have nothing to lose in that.”
For now, Tate has to focus on her next fight at UFC 205 in New York City next month against Raquel Pennington.
Tate knows she cannot overlook Pennington, but if she comes away victorious, the bout with Cyborg could be something that would intrigue her.
“You’re fighting a girl who’s such a powerhouse and such a beast and just crushing girls,” Tate said. “If I went in there and I beat her, or even gave her a solid run for her money, it says a lot. So I wouldn’t be opposed to doing it, but it’s not something that’s been discussed.
“Obviously at this point, now I have to focus on Raquel. I think she’s going to be a tough match-up. She’s a lot tougher than probably a lot of people are going to give her credit for. She’s hard to put away, she’s hard to finish, she’s going to be in it to win the whole time, so I know that I’m going to be in for a tough one.”
Only time will tell who Cyborg faces the next time she steps into the Octagon, but it appears as though the UFC will have some high-profile options for the Invicta FC title holder rather than call-ups that fans may not be familiar with.
Who do you think Cyborg should face next? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts.
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Photo Credit: Instagram/@mieshatate
