Cris Cyborg is happy to be reunited with a boss as open-minded as Bellator president Scott Coker.
[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] sees many career options ahead now that she’s with Bellator.
Cyborg (21-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), the former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight champion, will look to add another belt to her collection when she challenges Bellator 145-pound champ Julia Budd at Bellator 238.
With Bellator providing different opportunities with cross-promotion in the past year, Cyborg sees herself potentially competing in a boxing match or even in pro wrestling.
“You know I always like to challenge myself, and if I have the opportunity … I think it’s a big thing, signing a deal with Bellator,” Cyborg told reporters, including MMA Junkie, Monday at her gym in Huntington Beach, Calif. “It’s something I can be able to do, boxing fight, I can do WWE, pro wrestling, anything, and Scott (Coker) with me, behind me. He’s going to help promote Bellator, too. This is the good thing. I love a challenge, and if this opportunity shows up for me, for sure I’m in.”
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Having worked for Bellator president Scott Coker bfore, Cyborg is grateful to have him behind her. She’s confident Coker will back her in whatever she decides to do in her career.
“I think he opened a lot of things in my career,” Cyborg said. “When I fought Gina Carano, he opened the door for women’s MMA, and I think all the girls – most of the girls – at 145 are in Bellator now. They wait for me there, and I’m very happy. I’m not going to have to struggle to wait to fight and work with a boss that wants to work with you. It’s very nice. When they promote the fighters, I think it’s great.”
Bellator 238 takes place Jan. 25 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
To hear more from Cyborg, watch her full scrum in the video above.
Cris Cyborg is hoping to bring a grand prix to the Bellator women’s 145-pound division.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] has a plan.
The former UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta featherweight champion, Cyborg (21-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) looks to add Bellator gold to her trophy case when she takes on current champ [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag]. The fight headlines Bellator 238.
The first part of Cyborg’s plan is obvious: win her promotional debut Jan. 25. Cyborg acknowledges Budd (13-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) will likely be a stiff test, especially given the Canadian’s credentials in the organization.
“I think she’s a great fighter,” Cyborg told reporters, including MMA Junkie at a Monday media day at her gym. “She’s the champion at 145 pounds and she’s been a champion a long time. She’s undefeated eight years. She’s going to be a great challenge for me … I always like to challenge myself if I have the opportunity. I think it’s a big thing to sign with Bellator.”
Following what she hopes will be a successful outing in Inglewood, Calif., Cyborg aims to check another item off her bucket list. The 34-year-old featherweight said it would be a dream come true to partake in a Bellator grand prix in Japan.
On the men’s side, Bellator’s heavyweight, welterweight, and featherweight classes have participated in grand prix in recent years. The company has yet to hold a grand prix in any of the women’s divisions.
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“My focus first is Julia,” Cyborg said. “If I had the opportunity, I think one dream I have is to make a grand prix. I think being in Bellator, Scott (Coker) would be open to that – making more than one fight a night.
“I think it’s going to be a Japan event. I mean, shoot boxing has a lot of fighters over there that do that. I think it’s going to be a dream – a dream coming true for me.”
Bellator 238 takes place Jan. 25 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
To hear more from Cyborg, watch the video linked above.
This list is filled with shocking and sensational knockouts and submissions from the 2010s.
Given that my colleagues already have done a fantastic job of covering everything from the top fighters to the top moments of the decade, I figured I’d contribute to the retrospective content by examining some of the more memorable fight finishes from the last 10 years – parsing out technical trends and evolution while paying homage to performances that are worthy of the ole “Baba O’Riley” highlight reel.
As you’d hope with any maturing sport, the cultural fist-fighting phenomena that is MMA has improved from many perspectives.
Aside from the obvious growth of audience and accessibility, the quality of fighting, in general, has seen a sure-and-steady uptick since 2010 – particularly in the athleticism department. In fact, you could argue that one of the quiet benefits to the global expansion and corporate interest-era of this past decade is the increase in the level of athletes we’re seeing accumulate in MMA’s proverbial talent pools.
Not only have more Olympic medalists and collegiate athletes successfully made the jump to mixed martial arts, but we’ve also seen small countries like Surname or unassuming giants like China make their mark in regards to flexing their athletic powers. Coupled with the ever-growing index of techniques (from fighting to fight prep), and we’ve been privy to fighters – from all around the world – finding increasingly fun and explosive ways to finish fights.
Since it’s practically impossible to include all of the best fight finishes from the past 10 years, I decided to limit myself to 20 selections that I believe helped shape the state of fighting over the last 10 years.
Without further ado …
****
‘Shogun Rua’ knocks out Lyoto Machida
‘Shogun’ Rua and Lyoto Machida at UFC 113. (Getty Images)
Date: May 6, 2010 Event: UFC 113
With Frankie Edgar dethroning B.J. Penn just one month prior, the decade starts off with what are the beginnings of a trend in regards to “auras of invincibility” being shattered, as well as stylistic conundrums being figured out. And sure enough, after finishing the previous decade off with a sour decision at UFC 104, [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] exacted his revenge in 2010 by emphatically ending the undefeated streak of then-light heavyweight champion [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] at UFC 113.
Not only did Rua build off of his previous successes of low kicks and right hands to eventually find the crashing counter, but he also provided a useful blueprint for future fighters when it comes to dealing with karate stylists in mixed martial arts (see Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page or Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson).
Fabricio Werdum submits Fedor Emelianenko
Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko in 2010. (Getty Images)
Date: June 26, 2010 Event: Strikeforce/M-1 Global: “Fedor vs. Werdum”
As I mentioned, 2010 in MMA was essentially the first few seasons of “Game of Thrones” wrapped into one year in regards to watching our heroes fall.
[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], who finishes 2009 with a surprisingly competitive fight with Brett Rogers, starts off the decade with a rude reminder from [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] that the guard still works in mixed martial arts.
At this particular time in the sport, the jiu-jitsu guard was trending down both in popularity and proven application at the highest levels; therefore seeing someone like Fedor (of all people) falling into the grappling honeytrap was incredibly surprising. To Werdum’s credit, he masterfully played possum like an NBA player trying to draw an offensive foul, further placating Fedor’s strong sense of security from topside – something that ultimately cost the Russian his legendary winning streak.
Anderson Silva submits Chael Sonnen
Anderson Silva submits Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.
Date: Aug. 7, 2010 Event: UFC 117
It’s hard to forget fights that happen on your birthday, especially when it comes to classics like this one.
[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag], who had surprised me with his brand of promotional candor since his WEC victory over Bryan Baker, ended up surprising us all by backing up his words when taking on the great [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] at UFC 117.
After four-plus rounds of domination from Sonnen, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Silva was going by the wayside like Fedor, Penn and Machida had done months before him. However, despite being down on the scorecards (as well as sporting an injured rib), Silva shows off elite, clutch-player sensibilities that would make the likes of Michael Jordan or Reggie Miller proud, as the then-UFC champ secured a triangle-armbar submission in the fifth round that reminded us all there are no safe spaces in MMA so long as there’s time on the clock.
Edson Barboza TKOs Mike Lullo
Date: Nov. 20, 2010 Event: UFC 123
Legend bashing wasn’t the only thing going on in MMA back in 2010, as there were fighters like [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] stepping onto the scene to help start/reinforce the trend of leg bashing.
Sure, the decade prior had a solid offering of leg kickers like Pedro Rizzo, Pat Barry and Antoni Hardonk, but it’s hard to ignore that those men were all heavyweights while Barboza – the only fighter to officially earn two leg-kick TKOs under the UFC banner – is a lightweight.
Of course, Jose Aldo’s domination over Urijah Faber at WEC 48 would’ve also been a great example to list if it fit the bill for a fight finish, but it’s ultimately hard to deny Barboza’s consistent commitment to killing his opposition with kicks, as well as his contributions toward this decade’s trend of attacking the legs.
Some excellent fighters got left off our list of the decade’s 10 best.
Deciding on the top 10 fighters over an entire decade is an invitation for an open-ended debate.
Throw in a mandate from MMA Junkie managing editor Simon Samano that each person on the staff was free to set their own criteria on what qualifies as worthy of consideration for the decade’s best list, and a staff that pulls from a wide variety of ages stationed all around the globe, and you have plenty of leeway for a diverse variety of selections.
The end result was a vibrant list, one that demands more conversation. So we gathered MMA Junkie’s Las Vegas crew — MMA Junkie Radio personalities “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” fight analyst Dan Tom, and lead reporter John Morgan — to debate the results of our top 10 fighters of the 2010s in a roundtable format.
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In this segment, the guys weigh in on those who didn’t make the cut, which brought out heated responses from MMA Junkie readers. Why did [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], the only man ever to successfully defend the UFC heavyweight title three straight times, get skipped over? What about [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag], who ruled women’s MMA across multiple organizations for years until a stunning finish in 2018? Or someone like [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], the first man to wear both UFC and Bellator gold, and defeated former UFC, Strikeforce, and WEC champs on his run to the UFC lightweight title?
Watch the video above to hear what the gang thanks about those who didn’t make the cut. And to watch the full roundtable, check out the video below.
How did we reach our overall list, and did we get it right?
In pitching the MMA Junkie staff on coming up with a composite ranking of the top 10 fighters of the 2010s, I had people asking me about the criteria. My answer was simple: There is no criteria. Whatever you think it means to be among the 10 greatest fighters of the last decade, that’s the criteria.
To me, it’s better this way. I could’ve emphasized in-cage results, in which case No. 1 ends up being [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] without question. Same for emphasizing impact on the sport: [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] comes out on top easily. But what fun would that have been? There’s so much more to consider when trying to pick the top 10 fighters of the last 10 years among a pool of talent that never has been better.
The beauty of our list is that all 14 MMA Junkie staff members, who’ve spent so many years covering the sport, submitted individual top 10 lists. No discussion, no debate, no one person’s bias determined our final rankings. We all had a say in this. From there, it was a matter of mathematics – add up points for each fighter ranked and divide by 14 to determine the final rankings.
For reaction to our top 10, watch the roundtable discussion video above with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and Dan Tom, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Below is a ranking of all 26 fighters included, as well as notes about our list.
26 different fighters were included in at least one staff member’s top 10
8 different fighters were included in only one ranking
Individual No. 1 rankings: Jon Jones (7), Demetrious Johnson (3), Georges St-Pierre (2), Daniel Cormier (1), Ronda Rousey (1)
Cormier was the only fighter to be included in each of the 14 rankings.
Jones and Conor McGregor each were excluded from one staff member’s list.
Of 8 fighters included in only one ranking, Cain Velasquez was highest (No. 3); Eddie Alvarez was lowest (No. 10).
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
Mike Bohn, senior reporter
1. Jon Jones
2. Georges St-Pierre
3. Jose Aldo
4. Demetrious Johnson
5. Anderson Silva
6. Conor McGregor
7. Max Holloway
8. Tony Ferguson
9. Khabib Nurmagomedov
10. Daniel Cormier
Dave Doyle, senior editor
1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Daniel Cormier
3, Jon Jones
4. Anderson Silva
5. Georges St-Pierre
6. Cris Cyborg
7. Jose Aldo
8. Khabib Nurmagomedov
9. Conor McGregor
10. Eddie Alvarez
Matt Erickson, assistant managing editor
1. Daniel Cormier
2. Demetrious Johnson
3. Amanda Nunes
4. Conor McGregor
5. Max Holloway
6. Patricio Freire
7. Ronda Rousey
8. Georges St-Pierre
9. Ryan Bader
10. Jose Aldo
Brian Garcia, MMA Junkie Radio host
1. Georges St-Pierre
2. Jon Jones
3. Daniel Cormier
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Khabib Nurmagomedov
7. Stipe Miocic
8. Amanda Nunes
9. Max Holloway
10. Ryan Bader
George Garcia, MMA Junkie Radio host
1. Jon Jones
2. Georges St-Pierre
3. Daniel Cormier
4. Khabib Nurmagomedov
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Amanda Nunes
7. Cris Cyborg
8. Stipe Miocic
9. Conor McGregor
10. Henry Cejudo
Farah Hannoun, reporter
1. Jon Jones
2. Ronda Rousey
3. Conor McGregor
4. Demetrious Johnson
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov
6. Daniel Cormier
7. Amanda Nunes
8. Max Holloway
9. Stipe Miocic
10. Henry Cejudo
Ken Hathaway, senior video editor
1. Jon Jones
2. Amanda Nunes
3. Ronda Rousey
4. Max Holloway
5. Conor McGregor
6. Daniel Cormier
7. Georges St-Pierre
8. Anderson Silva
9. Khabib Nurmagomedov
10. Cris Cyborg
Simon Head, reporter
1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Jon Jones
4. Amanda Nunes
5. Donald Cerrone
6. Georges St-Pierre
7. Conor McGregor
8. Douglas Lima
9. Cris Cyborg
10. Michael Bisping
Nolan King, reporter
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Amanda Nunes
4. Demetrious Johnson
5. Max Holloway
6. Stipe Miocic
7. Georges St. Pierre
8. Jose Aldo
9. Conor McGregor
10. Khabib Nurmagomedov
John Morgan, lead staff reporter
1. Jon Jones
2. Conor McGregor
3. Ronda Rousey
4. Georges St-Pierre
5. Daniel Cormier
6. Demetrious Johnson
7. Amanda Nunes
8. Jose Aldo
9. Michael Bisping
10. Donald Cerrone
Simon Samano, managing editor
1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Georges St-Pierre
3. Jon Jones
4. Daniel Cormier
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov
6. Amanda Nunes
7. Tony Ferguson
8. Conor McGregor
9. Ronda Rousey
10. Max Holloway
Danny Segura, reporter
1. Ronda Rousey
2. Jon Jones
3. Cain Velasquez
4. Georges St-Pierre
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Jose Aldo
7. Cris Cyborg
8. Conor McGregor
9. Khabib Nurmagomedov
10. Daniel Cormier
Abbey Subhan, video editor
1. Georges St-Pierre
2. Conor McGregor
3. Jon Jones
4. Daniel Cormier
5. Amanda Nunes
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Anderson Silva
9. Carlos Condit
10. Ronda Rousey
Dan Tom, fight analyst
1. Jon Jones
2. Jose Aldo
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Dominick Cruz
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Conor McGregor
7. Ronda Rousey
8. Daniel Cormier
9. Max Holloway
10. Tony Ferguson
Cris Cyborg still wants a rematch with Amanda Nunes in a Bellator vs. UFC cross-promotion fight.
On the heels of her first loss in more than 13 years, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] still wants to avenge her setback to [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag].
But now that she is part of the Bellator banner, doing that could be difficult. Following her first-round knockout loss to Nunes at UFC 232, where she lost her featherweight title, Cyborg (21-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Felicia Spencer at UFC 240.
But her complicated relationship with UFC president Dana White, who claimed that dealing with Cyborg is a nightmare, got in the way of a potential rematch with Nunes (18-4 MMA, 11-1 UFC). Cyborg was a free agent after her win at UFC 240 in July and signed with Bellator in September.
Speaking to TMZ, Cyborg said the first thing she asked Bellator president Scott Coker is if they could do a cross-promotion with the UFC and get the Nunes rematch done.
“Before I signed with Bellator, the first thing I asked Scott for (is) maybe to have the possibility to fight (against UFC fighters) – the same he’s doing for Rizin (with) his champions fighting with champions in Japan. … I said maybe if he’ll be able to do that,” Cyborg said.
Cyborg is set to make her Bellator debut when she challenges 145-pound champ Julia Budd for the title at Bellator 236 on Jan. 25. The former UFC, Invicta and Strikeforce featherweight champ is hoping to add another belt to her collection, then hopefully get her rematch with Nunes.
“Cris Cyborg (vs.) Amanda Nunes – she’s the UFC champion, and I hope in the future (UFC) vs. Bellator champion, maybe the fight will happen. Scott said yes, we can do that,” Cyborg said. “Dana White (just has) to call him and make this happen, and I think everybody would like to watch.”
