Cris Cyborg has been publicly calling out Ronda Rousey and the UFC since August 1st; the day Rousey defeated Bethe Correia at UFC 190. Dana White has made it quite clear that Cyborg would have to show that she could drop to 135lbs before she will receive a shot at Rousey and the UFC title. She’s now hired a nutritionist, George Lockhart, to help her cut the extra 10lbs.
“Cris has this new fire about her,” Lockhart said. “She really wants this Ronda fight.”
“A lot of people don’t have the athleticism or the conditioning or the mindset to do this,” Lockhart said. “She does. I don’t see it being a problem at all.”
“That’s my goal,” Lockhart said. “My goal is to make her better, faster, more explosive at 135. … If anything, she’s going to fight exactly the way she does at 145.”
Anyone that’s seen Cyborg in person knows how big of a woman she is and how little body fat she has when she drops to 145 lbs. It’ll be amazing to see how Lockhart has her cut weight and if she can maintain her muscle mass.
The key with Cyborg isn’t so much the cutting of the 10 lbs, it can be done if necessary, it is the rehydration after the weight cut. With IVs now banned in the rehydration process it’ll be tough for Cyborg to replace all of the fluids in 24 hours. It’ll also mean that her body may not respond well to rehydration, leaving her sluggish and bloated.
Cyborg will need to be 100% when she steps into the cage against Ronda, which is highly unlikely for UFC 194 on December 5th despite what Lockhart and Tito Ortiz announce.
“If they want her to fight Dec. 5, it would be within the timeline,” Lockhart said. “It would be close, but she could definitely make 135 before Dec. 5.”
The fight will have to be planned and promoted for next spring and the UFC will have to make sure strict PED testing is in place before Ronda signs on the dotted line.
“The more time we have the better, obviously,” Lockhart said. “But we could get her down there within four to six months.”
Even then, Cyborg at 75% isn’t good enough to take the gold away from the baddest woman on the planet. So hopefully Lockhart is as good as he says he is at preparing fighters to make weight.
