“I Opened the Eyes of a Lot of Fighters” – Cris Cyborg on Joining Bellator

The movement of fighters between UFC and Bellator is often lopsided. More often than not, the fighters coming to the UFC are the ones moving into their primes or already into their prime. On the other hand, UFC fighters often move to Bellator when age is against them or they are out of their prime. However, the one big blip in this pattern is Cris Cyborg.

The former UFC Women’s Featherweight champ decided to move to Bellator around seven months ago. Although she had lost her last fight in the UFC, people still believed that she had much more left in the tank. Her run in the UFC was full of ups and downs. However, the word most befitting of a description of her run would be “impactful”.

The former Invicta FC champ changed how people viewed female mixed martial arts. It was due to her that the UFC opened up a 145 pounds division for women as well. Despite all this, she chose Bellator once her contract expired. And she doesn’t regret her decision at all.

“I was happy and it felt that everything you pass through is a lesson,” Cyborg replied in an interview with MMA Fighting if signing the Bellator contract was a relief for her. “Being in the UFC opened the door for my division there. And signing with Bellator has opened the eyes of a lot of fighters. They can see that there is heaven in other places too,” Cyborg added.

She also praised her new organization for paying its employees even after the cancellation of events. She was referring to Bellator 241 which was cancelled due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Cris Cyborg says that fighters from the UFC have asked her if the grass is greener on the other side

The move from such a massive name like Cyborg is sure to generate ripples in the UFC. Other fighters will probably be more open-minded about making a choice between the two when it is their time to make a decision. Cyborg says that some of these fighters have started asking her about the same.

“Now some people are saying that they are gonna wait for their contract to finish. A lot of people say how’s the work over there and if they treat their fighters nice. The first thing it does is that it makes you free. I can do boxing if I want. I can do WWE if I want”

She added that Bellator provides her freedom to wear any clothes she wants to fights. There are also no restrictions on sponsorship. Cyborg also revealed that she may step inside the boxing ring once before the year ends.

Would you like to see the former UFC champ in the boxing ring?