Cris Cyborg has hit out at the UFC regarding the drug scandal currently engulfing her compatriot Vitor Belfort and has challenged Ronda Rousey to join her in undertaking stringent testing procedures.
Cyborg posted on her Facebook that she was unhappy these types of occurrences can take place in the sport and has called for change. “Somebody tests positive for steroids before fighting for a UFC World Championship, but is still allowed to fight, and it takes almost three years before the public finds out?” said Cyborg, per Lucas Rezende of BloodyElbow.com. “Open your eyes!”
She continued, challenging the women’s UFC bantamweight champion, Rousey, to undertake testing should the two square off:
I am clean, and am willing to prove it with a year of Olympic testing before any fight, I wonder if the current UFC 135 pound champion (Ronda Rousey) is willing to agree to the same? What do you mean, some are crucified and others are not even mentioned! …
It has nothing to do with Vitor Belfort. His name only appeared. I am emphasizing everyone has to be punished or equal rights to all.
In a report published on Deadspin by Josh Gross, it was reported that Belfort had tested for elevated levels of testosterone in his system three weeks prior to his bout with Jon Jones at UFC 152 for the UFC light heavyweight title in 2012, but he was allowed to fight anyway.
On that basis, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden doesn’t think the fight between Jones and Belfort should have gone ahead:
No. For ethical reasons and sporting ones. https://t.co/j94NvLvw9i
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) September 22, 2015
What comes of those revelations remains to be seen, but there are plenty who would be quick to usher Cyborg down from the moral high ground. After all, the Brazilian has tested positive for banned substances herself in the past; she was suspended for using anabolic steroids in January 2012.
Since returning to the sport following the ban, Cyborg has established herself as one of the strongest female competitors of all time. Her previous win was a dominant performance against Faith van Duin. She secured victory after just 45 seconds of the opening round.
Despite being the naturally bigger woman, there has been some talk of Cyborg dropping down the divisions to fight Rousey, who has decimated all before her in the 135-pound weight class. As the Brazilian shared on her Instagram account, she’s looking at shredding down to 140 for her next fight, which has yet to be determined:
It’d be a major test for Rousey, who is scheduled to fight Holly Holm later in the year at UFC 193 in front of 70,000 people at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. If that many spectators do turn out for the showpiece, it’d make it the biggest in the history of UFC.
A fight with Cyborg would have the potential to be even more prestigious. The prospect of a bout at a catchweight is something that could suit both, with the Brazilian obviously intent on showing she can get to 140 pounds. But Rousey's coach has previously claimed that if Cyborg can fight at 145 while using steroids, she could do so clean at 135.
B/R's Mike Chiappetta thinks if the bout is to happen, the onus has to be on Cyborg to get into the right shape, not Rousey:
Bottom line is RR is center of UFC universe, and Cyborg is drifting away. It's incumbent upon her to navigate back to RR, not vice versa.
— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) August 5, 2015
If the two do eventually get into the Octagon together it’d be a special spectacle, and you suspect Cyborg’s tarnished history would be dragged up in the build-up to any potential bout.
Rousey, however, has little to prove. She’s the biggest name in the sport at the moment, has never failed a doping test and has the world at her feet. At the moment, the same cannot be said for Cyborg, who seems intent on keeping her name in the frame for a shot at Ronda.
