Cris Cyborg won't call herself greatest female fighter after UFC 219 title defense vs. Holly Holm

LAS VEGAS – UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg made another emphatic statement about her greatness with a first title defense at UFC 219.

But she’ll let others sing her praises when it comes to where she fits in the pantheon of female fighters.

“I never think like that,” Cyborg said when asked whether her win over former women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm solidified her status as the world’s greatest. “I let my fans think about that. I just have to keep training and keep learning, because the girls are going to beat me, and I have to be ready.”

Cyborg (18-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) doesn’t have a whole lot of opposition on deck after Holm (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), though she called again for a fight with Invicta FC featherweight champ Megan Anderson (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

The UFC champ clarified that she isn’t seeking a spot on UFC 221 in February in Perth. Holm’s face saw to that as Cyborg’s right hand looked badly swollen.

“I think Holly’s tough,” Cyborg said. “I think it’s the first fight I did five rounds.”

Indeed, Cyborg did after years of leaving judges out of the picture. But following the second round of Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the action was less and less competitive.

“I worked a lot of patience,” Cyborg said. “She is tough and has a lot of experience. I touched her, and I saw she felt the punches, but she was moving around a lot.”

A fight with another historical bantamweight – current 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes – appears to be picking up steam. While Cyborg reiterated her distaste at facing a fellow Brazilian, she said she’ll acquiesce if Nunes pushes for the fight.

“I wouldn’t like to fight somebody Brazilian, but if she wants to fight me, I’ll fight anybody (UFC President) Dana White puts in front of me,” Cyborg said. “I’m saying Megan, because she’s 145 pounds, and I would like my division growing. I think she’s in line to fight for the belt.”

Anderson withdrew from a scheduled fight with Cyborg at UFC 214, citing personal problems. Cyborg said he wasn’t sure whether Anderson would be ready to accept a fight, though Anderson seemed more than game.

For now, Cyborg is just happy she’s put some more distance between herself and her competition.

“I’m really happy, because I know to have a great fight, I need a great opponent,” Cyborg said.

For complete coverage of UFC 219, check out the UFC Events section of the site.