While many fans and analysts believe a loss against undefeated fight veteran Jorina Baars in a muay thai bout late last month has derailed her hopes of a superfight with Ronda Rousey, Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino believes otherwise.
The current Invicta FC women's featherweight champion still has her UFC bantamweight counterpart in her crosshairs, as she told AXS TV's Inside MMA (transcription per MixedMartialArts.com).
"Ronda, she did an interview and she said '145 for Gina,' you know," said Justino. "Only for Gina, not for me… She run from me, you know. And I think she's a fake fighter. Because when you're a true fighter, you fight everyone... Ronda at 145. It's perfect."
In a media scrum just under a month ago, per MMAJunkie.com, the "Rowdy" UFC champion stated that the only opponent she would move up to featherweight for is Gina Carano.
Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks over a possible Rousey vs. Carano showdown this summer, and while that remains to be seen, Carano said she is planning to meet with UFC president Dana White this week in an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.
Justino has not competed in an MMA fight since July, when she captured the vacant Invicta FC women's 145-pound championship in a rematch with Marloes Coenen, finishing the fight with strikes in the fourth round.
The musclebound brawler has scored back-to-back TKO victories under the Invicta FC banner since testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol shortly after a December 2011 win over Hiroko Yamanaka.
Meanwhile, Rousey improved her undefeated MMA record to 9-0 after she scored a quick Round 1 TKO over fellow former Olympic medalist Sara McMann at UFC 170 in February.
The matchup marked the first time Rousey won a fight by something other than her patented armbar.
Rousey does not have her next bout booked yet, though Carano and top contender Cat Zingano are two strong possibilities outside of Cyborg.
Is Rousey vs. Cyborg still the premier women's MMA fight to make, or are the other options out there for the UFC women's bantamweight titleholder simply more intriguing?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
