Cris Cyborg made a vow to make 2014 the busiest year of her fighting career in hopes to secure a UFC title shot against Ronda Rousey. Tonight didn’t go according to plan.
Cyborg took on Jorina Baars (35-0) at Lion Fight 14 at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Baars had a considerable height and length advantage and used it to dominate from the opening bell. Baars knocked down Cyborg twice in the 1st round and once in the 5th to pretty much seal up the championship. Cyborg threw Baars to the ground at will during the match but since there’s no ground fighting allowed in Muay Thai she couldn’t capitalize off of her strength.
This loss didn’t seem to stop Cyborg from continuing with her pursuit to drop down to 135lbs for her next MMA fight.
Dana White was open to the possibility of a Cyborg vs Rousey fight when we asked him about it after UFC 170:
“She’ll have to make weight a few times at 135 somewhere else for the fight to happen. If she does that, stays healthy, and we agree to a deal then why not?”
Cyborg is planning to compete two more times this summer at 135 lbs in the Invicta FC promotion where she already holds the 145 lb belt. A Rousey fight in December is still strong possibility for the extremely dangerous Cyborg. She’s more adapt to the MMA world where she can use all of her tools and dominate smaller fighters.