Cris Cyborg added another layer to her legacy to kick off 2020 when she claimed her fourth major promotional title by taking the Bellator women’s featherweight belt from Julia Budd.
Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has been the most dominant women’s featherweight fighter in MMA history. She may have lost to Amanda Nunes in the UFC, and a rematch may ended a similar way. But there is no one else who is her equal at the moment.
So what kind of predicament does that leave Bellator in? The promotion is kept to a lower standard and can get away with borderline grotesque mismatches more than its UFC counterpart. People have seen Cyborg in those types of fights for more than a decade, though, and it would be in Bellator’s best interest to seek out the biggest challenges.
Bellator president Scott Coker has even said he’s open to Cyborg taking a boxing match or any other unique challenges she wants to pursue. No one is raving to see that since MMA is the Brazilian’s best space. In light of that, here are four other more compelling options.
* * * *
1. Rematch with Budd
Let’s just get this one out of he way immediately: Yes, Cyborg’s fourth-round TKO of Budd was convincing, but it was also far less one-sided than most Cyborg fights. Budd’s size and strength automatically make her a compelling opponent, and if the Canadian can improve on some lessons learned from the initial encounter, she could potentially close the gap in a second fight.
And more so than anything, Budd deserves the opportunity. She distinguished herself as Bellator’s best female 145-pound fighter over a seven-fight winning streak and three title defenses before running into Cyborg. On paper, she is the most credible and legitimate opponent for Cyborg on the Bellator roster.
2. Give Cat Zingano a crack
Around the time Cyborg vs. Budd was booked, Bellator signed former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano to an exclusive contract. Immediately, she was thought of as the next opponent for the winner of the championship fight.
Zingano has just one win since September 2014, but she still has loads of name value from her UFC run, where she once fought Ronda Rousey for the belt. Zingano can also still hang her hat on a win over current dual-UFC champ Amanda Nunes from more than five years ago. It’s an easy sell for Bellator to promote Zingano as the fighter who beat the fighter who knocked out Cyborg, and spin it as a meaningful title defense.
Of all the options, this is Bellator’s most “sellable” fight.
3. An opportunity for Arlene Blencowe
Following Cyborg’s title win over Budd, Coker basically left the door open for her to do anything she’d like. Coker did say, though, that if Cyborg is keen to return sooner rather than later (like before summer), he’s already got a name in mind with Arlene Blencowe.
Is Blencowe the biggest name or most compelling matchup? Probably not. However, she has the most fights in Bellator women’s featherweight history (nine), is a legitimate fit in the division, and is coming off a notable win over Leslie Smith.
This fight would largely be viewed as something to keep Cyborg busy, but Bellator could do worse.
4. Oblige Cyborg’s grand prix request
This one feels like the least desirable or likely selection. Cyborg mentioned after winning the belt that she’d like to see Coker and Bellator organize some sort of grand prix she can be involved with. Whether it takes place in Bellator or serves as a co-promotion of sort with Rizin FF in Japan, Cyborg said she likes the idea of fighting through a tournament of opponents, and potentially competing more than once in a night.
Perhaps it can be sorted out logistically, but Bellator loaning Cyborg to Rizin FF doesn’t seem practical when it just got just got her. Bellator is also already running a featherweight grand prix, with the women’s flyweight division rumored to be next. Plans might change if Bellator is willing to bend to Cyborg’s request, but this is the long shot for now.
