Both Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg are fighting this weekend in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it will not be against each other. Heck, it won’t even be in the same promotion. Cris Cyborg is fighting Charmaine Tweet for the Invicta 145 pound belt on Friday while Rousey defends her 135 pound belt the next day against Cat Zingano in the UFC.
You’d think 10 pounds wouldn’t be much of an impediment in setting up the biggest fight in WMMA history since Cyborg battered Gina Carano out of the sport in 2009. But you’d be wrong on that one. At first it seemed like the UFC was stalling to establish their women’s division before letting their champ fight at a weightclass they don’t even have. But it turns out that Ronda is dead set on fighting Cyborg at 135 pounds and only 135 pounds. Via MMA Junkie:
“[The fight] is already set up,” Rousey said at UFC 184’s open workouts. “I’m here. She’s the one that left the company. She’s the one that ran off. I’m still the champion of the division. I’m still here and she can come fight me or not. But it’s been her decision to not come here.”
…
“She can make 135 (pounds),” Rousey said. “She definitely can. The thing is, someone that cheats and makes things easier for themselves is always going to try and make things easier for themselves. That girl needs to learn that you’re not always going to get advantages put in your favor. You need to learn a lesson that you need to do exactly what the other girls do. Stop taking f*cking steroids and make weight.”“People take steroids because they’re insecure. I don’t think her insecurity has gone away.”
Rousey may have a point about Cyborg’s confidence. 2014 was not the greatest year for Cris with her only fight being a one sided decision loss in kickboxing to Jorina Baars. Her MMA record since coming back from a steroid suspension in 2011 is still 2-0, but injuries aborted her plans to make it down to bantamweight and she doesn’t sound any closer to making 135 now than she did a couple of years ago:
“I’m now 15 pounds from 145, the water. And I walk 175 and normally I was 168, 165 pounds for drop to 145. Yeah, you know. Hard, hard. The day I tired, cut the weight I know it’s hard time, tough time. And the one time I cut between 145 and 135. But it’s okay. No problem, no problem. It’s for about heart. I try my the best.”
So it seems like what we have here is an unstoppable moral stance vs immovable weight class situation. What will happen? Hopefully something more than a whole lot of nothing.