UFC champ Cris Cyborg could generate PPV buys 'in a parking lot,' but unsure about Amanda Nunes

So the UFC really wants Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes to happen? OK, Cyborg said. But it’s going to take some compromise.

On Sunday UFC President Dana White reaffirmed his desire to have women’s 135-pound champ Nunes (15-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) as the next challenger to Cyborg’s (18-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) 145-pound belt. Nunes has been favorable to the Brazilian champs leaving “their marks” in the sport – a sentiment mirrored by her coach, ATT’s Conan Silveira.

All the while, Cyborg kept the same stance: she wouldn’t refuse to do it but wasn’t at all keen on the idea for a couple of reasons. Most importantly, because she believed that it was time to give actual featherweights – like Megan Anderson or Pam Sorensen – a shot.

White argued that Nunes had competed at Cyborg’s division before – and was, in fact, “brought into Strikeforce” to fight her compatriot. On her end, Cyborg said that Nunes’ 145-pound stint was “a long time ago” and that, despite her achievements at the lighter weight class, she’d like to face women who competed as featherweights in 2017.

“We never had the opportunity to fight each other because (Nunes) never (got) close fights to the belt,” Cyborg told MMAjunkie Radio. “What she did at 135 pounds, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change 145 pounds. …

“Amanda wants to jump in front of everybody at 145. But Amanda has a lot of girls (she didn’t) beat. She lost to Cat Zingano. She lost to Alexis Davis, by TKO. She still has a lot of girl she still (can) fight. She’s thinking about a big payday, and I can understand that. But I cannot forget just – I need to help my division grow. If I just beat girls at 135, this is not going to make my 145 division grow.”

Nunes did have her Strikeforce debut at featherweight, which ended in a blistering 14-second knockout of Julia Budd. But her second fight for the promotion, a knockout loss to Davis, was at 135 pounds. At the time, Nunes told MMAjunkie that, while she was ranked at featherweight, she hoped to win and challenge for the bantamweight belt that belonged to Miesha Tate.

In any case, that doesn’t mean Cyborg won’t fight Nunes. With three fights left on her UFC contract, and plans to have at least two completed in 2018, Cyborg said Nunes can be one of them. She just thinks that her compatriot has a lot more to gain from the encounter.

“Amanda barely sold 100,000 pay-per-views in her last fight,” Cyborg said. “She’s no (Conor McGregor). To make 100,000 pay-per-views, I can fight in a parking lot (against) anybody. Of course she wants to fight me. She fought Ronda Rousey, and then she (got) big pay-per-view (points) there because Ronda is a big name. And she (got) paid $3 million to fight Amanda.

“And then other fights (Nunes) fought, too. She fought Miesha Tate, on the card with Brock Lesnar (UFC 200), and Miesha Tate made pay-per-view at the fight too. Of course she wants to fight me. She wants (to get paid), big pay. She knows she barely sold 100,000 pay-per-views.”

Cyborg, who held titles with Strikeforce and Invicta FC, is fresh off her first UFC title defense – a five-round dominant effort over former 135-pound champion Holly Holm. Nunes, in turn, has twice defended the belt she earned over Tate: first with a knockout over Rousey, and then with a decision victory in a rematch with Valentina Shevchenko.

If White really does believe that it’s “the fight everybody wants to see,” though, the UFC can make it happen. But considering Cyborg doesn’t see what Nunes can do for either her division or her bank account, it’s going to take building some context around it.

“Of course we can do that fight, but we need to do (it) on a big card,” Cyborg said. “It has to be a big event. It has to have more championships for everybody to make money together. If it’s a super fight, you’re supposed to make super money. Of course I can fight her.

“But by herself, only her? This fight (doesn’t) mean anything for my career, and we don’t make money either. But if you put me in a bigger card, for sure. Then I’ll talk to my manager. My manager is going to talk to the UFC.”

Cyborg is quite familiar with the style of Nunes, whom she saw ascend as she was already a champion. And while she maintains Nunes is basically cutting the 145-pound line there, Cyborg thinks the two would end up putting on a good scrap.

“I respect all my opponents,” Cyborg said. “I think she’s a great fighter. She’s an aggressive fighter. I think when I fight her, it’s going to be an amazing fight. But she (hasn’t fought) somebody like me in my division, 145 pounds. Let’s see.”

To hear from Cyborg, check out the video above.

And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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