Yahoo Sports Cris Cyborg: ‘UFC Doesn't Respect Me'
Cris “Cyborg” Justino has dominated the women's 145-pound division since 2009. She's the former Strikeforce titleholder and the current Invicta FC featherweight champion. She's fought twice in the UFC in 140-pound catchweight fights because the organization doesn't have a women's 145-pound division.
UFC president Dana White recently said that the organization has done everything for Justino, as far as promoting her, as they have for Ronda Rousey. Cyborg strongly disagrees.
“People ask me, ‘What did Dana White do for Ronda that he didn’t do for ‘Cyborg’?’ Well, he’s lied. He also never said Ronda looks like Wanderlei (Silva) with a dress. He never said that about her even though he said that about me. For almost six years, I’ve had to see him control the media. Hear Ronda say I have a (penis) and that I have to cut my (penis) off to make 135. I’ve had to deal with this,” Justino told mixedmartialarts.com.
“Before, I didn’t even speak English. I couldn’t defend myself. I didn’t have any opportunity to defend myself. I was in one place, I didn’t even speak English,” she said.
“I do MMA just for sport. I’ve been doing this 10 years. I haven’t lost in 10 years and they don’t respect me,” she added. “Tell me, if there was an American girl who went 10 years, undefeated, you don’t think they’d make something special?”
Cyborg echoes the sentiments of the American political scene in asserting that the UFC controls what the media reports.
“(Dana White) knows he can control the media. Anything he says – that I don’t have opponents, that I don’t have a division, that they can’t make a division – people will believe what he says,” she alleged.
“He knows he can manipulate everybody. I think everything Dana says, he is trying to manipulate everybody.”
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Justino headlined UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sept. 24, and decimated Lina Lansberg, as she has most of her opponents. She's been under UFC contract since early 2015, but doesn't believe the organization respects her.
“I’m the world champ at 145 pounds, and they wanted me to fight at 140. They don’t want to show everybody that I’m world champ,” she said. “When I had to do some videos for them, I couldn’t use my belt. This is ridiculous. I’m world champion, they cannot delete this. They cannot delete this in my career. I’m still world champion. Nobody has beaten me in my division.
“They don’t respect me. I’m still world champ and they don’t respect me.”
“It doesn’t matter if you have a UFC belt because they could give one to me the same way they gave one to Ronda. But, I don’t need another belt. I have two belts in my house. I really don’t need another,” she continued.
“They cannot lie. I’m still world champ. They cannot change this. If they want to change this, put someone against me in my division and have them beat me. But, don’t try and kill me because you control the media.”
