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By Hunter Homistek

If Ronda Rousey is making improvements in her training, Cris Cyborg isn’t seeing them.

“She’s doing shadowboxing on the beach, and her shadow won,” Cyborg said in an interview with Power 106 FM.

Cyborg also mentioned she believes Rousey has been avoiding a showdown against her for some time.

“Ronda always runs from me,” Cyborg said. "When she started training, I was a world champion at 145, and she started at 145 and she ran for 135. She’s always saying she wants to fight me, but she’s never wanted to make it a catchweight so we could meet each other and fight.”

Currently, Cyborg is set to face Leslie Smith in a 140-pound catchweight bout at UFC 198 event in Curitiba, Brazil, on May 14. Given these latest comments, though, it’s clear Rousey is still on the Brazilian’s mind. 

Before losing to Holly Holm at UFC 193, Rousey was seen as the only legitimate threat to Cyborg in women’s MMA. At 12-0, nobody in the UFC’s bantamweight division could stop Rousey and her powerful, aggressive game plans.



As it goes in MMA, this dominance led many to speculate about a potential "super fight" with Cyborg. At 15-1 with one no-contest—the lone loss was her professional debut in 2005—Cyborg is unquestionably one of the most fearsome fighters on the planet. Her Muay Thai attack has resulted in 13 knockouts, and none of her opponents has seen the final bell since October 2008.

With Cyborg now in the UFC, a matchup with Rousey is more possible than ever. Rousey lost the belt to Holm and has not competed since. It’s unclear if she’ll be thrust directly into a title fight, or if she’ll receive a tune-up in the meantime.

And with Cyborg cutting from 145 to 140 to face Smith, it’s also unclear if she’s preparing for an eventual trek to the 135-pound division. If she can make that cut, it would certainly be difficult to hold off a showdown with Rousey much longer. The barriers are disintegrating, and if Cyborg’s comments are any indication, she’s still interested in facing the former UFC champ inside the Octagon.

Even if Cyborg cannot make 135, the bout remains an apparent possibility. Rousey fought the first four bouts of her professional career at 145 and even competed in a catchweight bout of 150 pounds. With no obligation to defend the 135-pound title, she’s more free than ever to dabble in catchweight affairs.

While plenty of roadblocks still exist, Cyborg’s latest comments certainly rekindle interest in this showdown. Would Rousey’s ground game prove too much for Cyborg, or would the Brazilian send the former champ reeling? We may find out sooner rather than later.