During an interview with Inside MMA on Friday night, Tito Ortiz made a hell of an announcement: The UFC is officially offering Cris Cyborg a fight against Ronda Rousey in December at Cowboys Stadium. But before anyone could get their hopes up too high, UFC president Dana White called Tito’s claims “100 percent a lie. … Tito Ortiz is just making this sh*t up. In no way, shape or form did we offer her a fight against Ronda at Cowboys Stadium. Completely untrue.”
Those were some strong words of denial from the Baldfather himself, so imagine our surprise when the tale was told again … first by Cris Cyborg herself and then her manager George Prajin. Via ESPN:
Prajin told ESPN.com on Saturday he has had “multiple conversations” with UFC officials regarding the potential bout. … While Prajin refused to discuss any details regarding negotiations, he did confirm they have taken place and that Justino (14-1) is confident she can make 135 pounds by December.
“I don’t negotiate in the media, nor do I disclose negotiations to the press,” Prajin said. “What I can say, and the only reason I say this is because of what is going on between Tito and Dana — I can confirm that I had multiple conversations with the UFC in the last week regarding Cris and a potential fight [against Rousey] in December.
“I can also confirm the end result of those conversations is that Cris is agreeable to fighting Ronda on Dec. 5 at Cowboys Stadium [at 135 pounds].”
It certainly sounds like talks are going down. So what the heck is with Dana White’s vehement denials?
Well, Dana White is a promoter first and foremost and he’s never had an issue telling lies to try and keep big fights under wraps. And Ronda Rousey vs Cris Cyborg is big. Huge. If it happens on December 5th at Cowboys Stadium with Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo for the featherweight strap as well, it will be the biggest event in the history of the sport. So he’s got that incentive.
There’s also a good possibility that Cyborg and her management are overselling these ‘negotiations’ in an attempt to force the fight into existence. If Rouseymania runs wild on the idea, Cyborg will be in a much better position to negotiate more money, or maybe get that five pound catchweight she’s been after since 2013. There’s no real downside to her hyping up a potential fight – if it doesn’t happen, she can blame Rousey … and fans will too.
Let’s hope though that the talks are real and a Ronda Rousey vs Cris Cyborg fight at Cowboys Stadium is at hand. Everyone likes money, right? The UFC knows how much this fight will generate, and there will never be a better time. The only question now is if Ronda Rousey agrees.
(Via ESPN)