The Unanswered Questions that Linger Around ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s UFC Debut

Saturday night turned into the biggest winning moment for Cris “Cyborg” Justino after many of her fans had patiently waited for her UFC debut. Her exceptional skills clearly reflected most online MMA betting odds as the favorite fighter between the two. Her hometown fans in Curitiba, Brazil cheered jubilantly as she delivered swift, powerful and dominant kicks and punches to demolish her opponent, Leslie Smith after 81 seconds of punishment.  However, the victory over a former training partner at UFC 198 did not answer the most vital question of the bout: Can “Cyborg” lose more weight to make 135 lbs and qualify for the bantamweight division? With a win to loss ratio of 16-1, Justino is currently the 145-pound Invicta champion and the ex-Strikeforce champion.

Some of the big names in WMMA did not grace the occasion, including Ronda Rousey, the former UFC bantamweight titleholder; Miesha Tate, the current champion; or even the “Rousey conqueror” Holly Holm, who defeated the former champ in March to claim the belt which she lost to Tate in her first title defense. However, Justino showed her lack of interest in shifting to bantamweight. During her post-bout interview, she said that her mission is to defend her belt as the Invicta titleholder and eventually fight in UFC’s catch-weight category.

Justino’s UFC debut became the top story for UFC, which also increased ticket sales at Arena da Baixada. However, her plan to defend her belt at 145 is not viable because the UFC still does not sponsor the 145-pound division. Furthermore, it is up to the promotion to approve her request for a catch-weight.

Before the fight, ESPN.com ranked Justino as the leading pound-for-pound female fighter who is unmatched in women’s MMA. The big predicament points towards the tactics she will have to implement to fight for the same belt that has been constantly changing hands between Rousey, Holm, and Tate in the past 7 months. The main issue is her commitment to cut down her weight to 135 pounds even though she was only four pounds heavier on Friday. Her physique and utterances still cannot convince anyone about the possibility of losing the extra four pounds.

Based on the comments that Justino made after the fight about her weight, it still remains unclear if she has the desire to get to 135 pounds, and if this achievement would compromise her hotheadedness and resilience. On the other hand, Justino looked very sharp during her Saturday fight even though Smith (8-7) later poured her disappointment on social media about the bias of referee Eduardo Herdy, who she claimed made a quick stoppage.

At the onset of the bout, Justino seemed to have calculated her moves without wasting any energy through the uncontrolled attack after the opening bell. She had a composed game plan by stalking her opponent repeatedly while landing an impressive 66% of the 32 strikes she unleashed. Her dominance in the Octagon proved that she has the power to overwhelm most of her opponents in the MMA in a considerable way. Smith succumbed to a well-calculated three-punch combination as she hit the floor hard, and Justino followed with successions of hammer-fists until the fight was stopped.

With the inadequate skills of Smith, it became difficult to ascertain whether the controlled pace of Justino reflected her maturity or if her calculated plan helped her to conserve energy and strike at the right moment irrespective of the weight concerns. One could only have a satisfactory answer to such questions if Justino makes it to the Octagon with resilient fighters, such as Rousey, Holm, and Tate.

The rivalry between Justino and Rousey dates back to 2011 after the former was suspended due to using steroids, which Rousey constantly uses to mock the champion. As such, if UFC manages to bring the two together in a superfight, it would stand out as one of the most desired fights due to their rivalry. Moreover, after the Saturday bout, the current 135-pound titleholder Tate declared on social media that she wants to fight Justino. Due to their unique styles, UFC could make a fortune if Justino and Holm meet because Holm has a very dangerous striking offense.

For these fights to take place, Justino has to show her practical commitment to cut down her weight. Even with the unanswered questions, “Cyborg” made her UFC debut with a bang to attract more fans with her dangerous style and calculated moves. Currently, we are on the lookout for the best female UFC fighter in the world, approximately three years after creating the women’s division.