Does anyone else get the feeling Dana White is going to have to make a similar admission about Demetrious Johnson soon?
Arguably the pound-for-pound greatest female fighter in the world is in the UFC, but even Dana White has admitted her stint in the promotion has been tough.
When the UFC signed Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino in March 2015, the promotion was in much better shape in terms of star power.
Ronda Rousey was ‘unbeatable’, Conor McGregor’s showmanship on the UFC 189 World Tour was drawing in more fans, the shit had yet to properly hit the fan with Jon Jones and CM Punk had just been snapped up on a multi-fight deal.
Holly Holm turned down the opportunity to welcome 'Cyborg' to the UFC https://t.co/FanVu6Q3wu pic.twitter.com/8cFMjrVDPF
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) April 1, 2016
Skip forward a couple of years and Rousey looks like she may never come back, McGregor has been absent from the Octagon for nearly an entire calendar year, the bitter memory of UFC 200 means the hype surround Jones’ return isn’t where it probably should be and CM Punk… well, we all know how that debut turned out.
Georges St-Pierre is back, Nate Diaz is a PPV star now, but no one is quite sure what’s happening with either fighter. So that just leaves ‘Cyborg’ to promote.
As White explained to MMAjunkie, the promotion hasn’t exactly given the Brazilian a fair crack at the whip so far, but all that will change when she finally fights for a belt (in her own weight class) at UFC 214.
“We signed Cyborg. We made a commitment to Cyborg. Not everything is easy. Not everything is as fun as other divisions or whatever. But we made a commitment to this woman and she’s had a rough go here in the UFC.
“She hasn’t been thrilled with things that have been said, things that have been done. And to be honest with you, we’ve made some mistakes when it comes to Cyborg. The least we could do is get our shit together and get this woman a fight for the title.”
‘Cyborg’ has two knockouts in two UFC fights, including one Fight Night headliner that drew more than decent viewership ratings. However, she had a tough cut to make 140 lbs for both those bouts.
She takes on Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 for the vacant women’s featherweight belt and as White puts it, “basically, Cyborg owns that division.”
That’s the sort of promotion she would have been looking for.
