TMZSports.com
Cris “Cyborg” Justino might’ve re-signed with Bellator, but that doesn’t mean a scrap between Kayla Harrison and the MMA legend is off the table for good, with the Brazilian fighter telling us the super fight can still happen!
37-year-old Cyborg, the Bellator women’s featherweight champion, opted to stay with CEO Scott Coker‘s company, inking a new deal with the promotion.
The downside — many believed the re-signing to be the final nail in the coffin for anyone who hoped to see Cyborg fight Kayla.
In fact, the PFL star herself said the odds of it happening were “slim” and “decreasing, not increasing” … though the 2x Olympic gold medalist may now have a glimmer of hope after hearing what Cyborg told us this week at LAX.
“Yes, she can call Scott Coker and make this fight happen. She can come to Bellator.”
Obviously, the giant catch is changing promotions … but the bottom line is Justino’s saying there’s a chance.
“If she wants to make a great fight, I think the best division is in Bellator. We have a full division at featherweight,” Cyborg told us.
“If she wants to make something great, she can go [to Bellator].”
If the fight does happen, it’d pit two of the most dominant female MMA fighters ever against one another. Cyborg’s a trailblazer … and has only lost twice (Erica Paes in her first ever pro bout and Amanda Nunes) in 28 professional fights. Cris has smashed her opps going back two decades.
As for Kayla, she’s newer to the sport, but no less dominant. Harrison is 15-1 … and coming off the only defeat of her awesome career (she lost to Pacheco in November). A sign of KH’s dominance … 9 of Harrison’s 15 wins were first-round knockouts or submissions. Outside of Larissa, no one’s even come close to beating her.
If the fight does ultimately go down, it’s not going to happen imminently. So, it’s likely Cris will face Cat Zingano next, the number 1 contender.
We asked Cyborg about that matchup … and she gives us an update on contract negotiations.
Check out the clip!