Trading Shots: How do you solve a problem like Cris Cyborg?

What should the UFC do with its women’s featherweight champion, and how much should that decision be affected by the desires and demands of the champion herself? That’s the topic of discussion between MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes and retired UFC and WEC fighter Danny Downes in this week’s Trading Shots.

Fowlkes: This whole Cris Cyborg situation vexes me, Danny. I’m terribly vexed.

First, Cyborg goes out there and beats Holly Holm in her first title defense at UFC 219. Good fight, closer than I expected, but the result was pretty clear. Then UFC President Dana White goes around telling people that Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes is the fight he “will make” next, and that seems reasonable enough, right? It’s got the whole champion vs. champion thing going for it.

Plus the UFC has not bothered to establish any women’s featherweight rankings, or get any sort of division going there, so it seems like Cyborg vs. a rotating cast of bantamweights is the UFC’s plan.

But Cyborg doesn’t like that plan. She wants a real featherweight contender next. She’d prefer Invicta FC champ Megan Anderson, but if Anderson’s not ready she’ll take (… wait for it …) Pam Sorenson? As the person running Cyborg’s Twitter account told me, “rankings have to matter.” But do they, Danny? I mean, do they really?

The UFC doesn’t seem to think so, especially in Cyborg’s division. It’s not like Sorenson would be high up on the women’s featherweight rankings even if they did exist in the UFC. So what do we really want to see here? And am I the only one to suspect that Cyborg vs. Sorenson is not it?

Downes: Never get involved in a land war in Asia and never discount Pam “Bam” Sorenson. The pride of Blaine, Minn., (checks record) beat Helena Kolesnyk in July to run her professional record to 6-2 and run her current win streak to … one.

OK, it’s probably not fair to dunk on Sorenson, but I can’t say that anyone other than Cyborg wants to see that fight.

On the one hand, I understand why Cyborg’s team would cling to this antiquated notion that “rankings have to matter.” It’s for self-preservation. The division was created for Cyborg, and if the UFC never tries to develop 145-pound bouts, the possibility of dissolving the division increases. The UFC has discussed eliminating men’s flyweight and that division is far deeper than women’s featherweight. With no women’s featherweight division (and the belt that accompanies it), Cyborg’s usefulness and bargaining power diminishes significantly.

Having said that, I (and I assume most fans) have no interest in watching Cyborg be the queen of a developmental league. People may see a resemblance to Ronda Rousey and the creation of the women’s bantamweight division, but those comparisons don’t hold up. Yes, Rousey was crowned champion of a relatively shallow division at the time, but there were still enough viable contenders.

Even as women’s MMA has expanded over the years, a women’s featherweight division hasn’t grown alongside it. Invicta FC had difficulties populating the division with bodies in general, let alone contenders for Cyborg. That situation hasn’t changed much.

It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances for her, but that’s the thread the Fates have weaved. The conditions of the division prove that Cyborg vs. Nunes makes the most sense. Not just in the “money fight” climate of recent years, but in general.

Who would you have Cyborg fight? Can you name another women’s featherweight not named Germaine de Randamie? Doesn’t Cyborg have to play ball here? What possible leverage does she have?

Fowlkes: It seems like we’ve asked that question about her before. Actually, it seems like we’ve asked it at basically every stop along the way in her UFC ascendancy. She keeps planting her feet and making demands. We keep thinking she’s finally pushed it too far. And then usually she gets what she wants. The fact that there’s even a women’s 145-pound title to begin with (remember those 140-pound catchweight fights that the UFC made her do for no reason) is proof of that.

I agree that ain’t nobody trying to pay $60 to see Cyborg vs. Sorenson. I think Cyborg vs. Anderson could generate some interest, but Anderson seems in no hurry to actually make that fight, and even if she were it wouldn’t solve the problem so much as delay it. If there’s no division, there’s no reliable way of establishing contenders. And it seems like the last thing the UFC wants to do is spend time, money, and energy building up this particular weight class, for a lot of very good reasons.

That’s where I get stuck, Danny. I can understand Cyborg’s position on the matter. I can also understand the UFC’s. And if we’re going to applaud people like Darren Till or Nate Diaz for saying rankings don’t matter and titles are fairy tales, how strongly can we support Cyborg for insisting the opposite while the UFC actually tries to get her into fights that people might want to see?

Downes: It’s a mistake to use the current Cyborg situation and use it to make arguments about structural UFC issues. This isn’t about whether or not rankings do/should matter. The champion doesn’t always face the top contender and that’s OK.

The only person who could legitimately make the argument Cyborg is attempting here is Nunes. While there isn’t a wealth of contenders for her, she still has some work to do. If she wanted to clean it out because “rankings matter,” I could respect that. The fact that Nunes wants the fight eliminates the only real objection I’d consider.

You’re correct that Cyborg has had her demands met along the way (although not with the promptness she’d prefer), but you have to think her luck will run out eventually. I return to the point about leverage. Look at it from the UFC’s perspective. What’s the worst-case scenario? Cyborg doesn’t accept the fight and stays on the shelf for an extended period.

As you point out, the UFC didn’t even want a 145-pound division to begin with. So who cares if the belt lies dormant? The UFC gave us Holm vs. de Randamie to spite Cyborg. Stringing her along should be easy.

I don’t think Cyborg is trying to “duck” Nunes. She’s trying to play the long game in a sport that wants the quick payoff. It’s admirable, but she’s misplaying her hand.

She’s beaten every opponent in front of her for over a decade. The only thing she hasn’t been able to do is create viable challengers. Avoiding a fight with Nunes isn’t going to make that any more of a reality. I respect the long hustle, but sometimes you have to take what’s on the table.

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

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who has also written for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.