Cris Cyborg: I Can Knock Out Any Woman In The World — Including Holly Holm
Cris Cyborg: I Can Knock Out Any Woman In The World — Including Holly Holm
UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg discusses her upcoming UFC 219 matchup vs. Holly Holm.
When it comes to ferocious knockout strikers in women's mixed martial arts, Cris "Cyborg" Justino sets the gold standard.
Undefeated for more than a decade, Cyborg has rattled off 12 consecutive knockout victories, with only two fights in the past 12 years actually going to a decision.
On Dec. 30, Cyborg will face arguably the toughest challenge of her career as she takes on former women's bantamweight champion and multi-time boxing champion Holly Holm at UFC 219 in Las Vegas.
In terms of pedigree, Holm is one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes in history, and she's set a new standard for striking in mixed martial arts with her boxing acumen combined with a kickboxing skill set that she's honed over the years.
As good as Holm has been as a striker throughout her boxing and MMA career, Cyborg still sees areas she can exploit when they step into the Octagon together next weekend. Add to that, Cyborg truly believes there's not a woman on this planet who could survive her power if she connects with her best shots.
"I believe I am capable of KO'ing any woman in the world, including Holly Holm," Cyborg told FloCombat ahead of UFC 219. "For this fight, I have a lot of tools in which I can win this fight."
Holm has only competed at 145 pounds one time in her career, dropping a narrow decision to Germaine de Randamie earlier this year in the inaugural UFC women's featherweight title fight.
Holm's performance in the five-round battle impressed Cyborg, although it also gave her some thoughts on how she will approach their matchup on Dec. 30.
"I think this was a great fight," Cyborg said. "Holly showed a lot of skill and it was a very close fight. It was a 25-minute fight against a girl who is going to move forward with her strikes like me. Holly showed everyone a lot about her wrestling ability in this fight.
"This fight also showed that even though Holly has such good foot movement, she is very hittable."
Being "hittable" sounds as if Cyborg is preparing to feast on Holm's slightest mistakes in this fight, but the Brazilian standout insists she's instead readying to face the best version of her opponent possible.
Cyborg is leaving nothing to chance in the lead-up to this fight — not only because it's the first defense of her UFC title but also because this will be her first main event on pay-per-view. The headline bout at UFC 219 will also serve as the first fight on Cyborg's new contract, which she signed with the promotion before inking the deal to face Holm.
That all adds up to a lot riding on this victory, but Cyborg is confident that she will get the best out of Holm and in turn that will bring the best out of her. The end result is an event Cyborg hopes everyone will want to watch.
"I hear she is training really hard for this fight, and I expect to face the best version of Holly Holm the fans have ever seen," Cyborg said. "I always train hard for my fights, but with this being the first fight on my new deal I really feel like it is a new chapter in my career and it has been a very motivating fight to train for.
"Holly is the girl who beat Ronda Rousey, and a lot of fans want to see if I can beat her."
By Damon Martin