Cris Cyborg seems pretty busy. The Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion is already an MMA legend, and is scheduled to branch out to boxing by facing Simone Silva on Sept. 25.
Could we see her in a pro wrestling ring at some point too?
That was one of the questions posed to Cyborg during a recent interview with combat sports journalist Denise Salcedo.
“It’s a different sport,” Cyborg said. “Like I say, I love challenges. If I have the opportunity, for sure I’m going to train and do my best.”
Cyborg noted that she has trained some in the past with (currently injured) AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa. She called that opportunity “fun” before ending with a more conclusive hint at trying her hand at it in the future.
“If you folks would like to see me one day doing pro wrestling, I’m gonna do it.”
You can watch the entire interview below, with Cyborg’s thoughts on pro wrestling beginning around the 3:48 mark.
The path from MMA to pro wrestling is a well-worn one by now, with fighters successfully making the transition for decades. There’s less of a history of it overall for women, though WWE has Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler in prominent positions on its roster, and AEW has Paige VanZant under contract.
Much of the current speculation around Cyborg is whether she will end up signing to a superfight with PFL star Kayla Harrison, which could potentially be the biggest non-UFC women’s MMA bout to date. PFL founder Donn Davis has proposed a purse that would pay both fighters seven-digit sums, and Harrison told MMA Junkie last month that the offer was serious.
Whether that fight comes together or not, Cyborg would bring name recognition with her to any pro wrestling promotion should she decide to give scripted combat a try, and fans will no doubt be curious to see if she follows through on her stated interest.
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