Cyborg: Strikeforce Return a Done Deal

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has re-signed with Strikeforce. | Photo: Dave Mandel

Spawned by the famed Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil, Santos (10-1, 4-0 SF) last appeared in June 2010, when she handed Jan Finney a brutal two-round beating en route to a technical knockout. It was her 10th consecutive victory.

Earlier this summer, largely because of extended inactivity, Santos opted to exercise an option in her contract that allowed her to fight outside of Strikeforce after one year without a title defense. However, when the 26-year-old agreed to a bout in Brazil in August and another in Singapore in September, she claimed representatives from Strikeforce parent company Zuffa, LLC, called to inform her that they had agreed to further negotiations and wanted her to keep fighting for the promotion.

A devastating standup fighter, Santos has secured eight of her 10 professional victories by knockout or TKO. Her list of victims includes Gina Carano and former Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Marloes Coenen. Also an accomplished grappler, Santos won bronze at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships in Spain.