SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 17: Cris "Cyborg" Santos is introduced during the Strikeforce event at the Valley View Casino Center on December 17, 2011 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images)
World 145-pound champion Cris "Cyborg" Justino, her manager and an adviser have all said that the UFC has offered her a December fight against 135-pound champ Ronda Rousey. UFC president Dana White has categorically denied it.
So, someone is likely lying in a bald-faced manner. Further confusing the situation are the years of contradictory statements on weight over the years.
A couple years ago, the well-muscled Cyborg and her camp suggested that fighting at 135 pounds could be life-threatening for her. She later gave up that ridiculous claim and vowed to make 135 pounds for a fight.
Then, she backed away from a set timeline to compete at bantamweight. Lately, Justino has once more said she will fight at 135 pounds.
Yet, she has also recently seemed to campaign for a catchweight bout. Some of the confusion (at least with regard to weight) may finally be put to rest with comments Monday from Justino's strength, conditioning and nutrition coach George Lockhart.
"If they want her to fight Dec. 5, it would be within the timeline," Lockhart told MMA Fighting of the chances that Justino could get down to 135 pounds for a fight with Rousey in time.
"It would be close, but she could definitely make 135 before Dec. 5."
Lockhart said that Justino has the mental and physical ability to quickly make the drop to bantamweight. "A lot of people don't have the athleticism or the conditioning or the mindset to do this, (but) she does," he said.
"I don't see it being a problem at all."
And Lockhart seemed to expect that Justino would be at full strength and normal featherweight fighting weight, even if she were to weigh in the day before to fight Rousey at 135 pounds. Normally, Justino is reported to fight at or near 170 pounds, the day after weighing in at 145 pounds.
"That's my goal," he said.
"My goal is to make her better, faster, more explosive at 135. ... She is going to fight exactly the way she does at 145 pounds."
Well, there everyone has it. None other than "Cyborg" Justino's conditioning and nutrition coach is now publicly saying that she can make a drop to 135 pounds in time to fight the first week of December and furthermore that she would be just as strong, good and heavy on fight night as she normally is when she fights at featherweight.
Who can stop this fight now? According to her coach, not the Brazilian.
"Cris has this new fire about her," Lockhart said.
"She really wants this Ronda fight."
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