For several years former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was thought to be the most Dominant Female athlete on the planet. Whether that may have been true or not can be debated, however, the title likely came because another female was not getting the spotlight she so rightfully deserved.
Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justino was not signed to the UFC until several years after the organization began a women's division. Justino who normally competes at 145-pounds did not have a home there because the UFC only had two women's divisions - 115 pounds and 135 pounds.
Now with a featherweight division, 'Cyborg' will have her chance to shine tonight at UFC 214 as she challenges Tonya Evinger for the vacant women's featherweight title.
Earlier this week during the UFC 214 open workouts Cyborg addressed the underlying feud that she and Rousey have had with one another despite never having the opportunity to face one another in the octagon.
"We can talk, I’ve never met her. She said a lot of things about me, but I think she used that time for growing her," Justino said.
Justino believes that Rousey used her to grow her own brand. "I think she used it like a business. I think it’s nothing personal because I never met her....I don’t have anything against her.”
Trash Talk
Rousey spoke poorly of Justino on multiple occasions, often accusing her of being a man or about steroid abuse.
With Rousey being a highly popular figure a lot of people listened and it hurt Justino's ego.
“I have a lot of things that people say about me on the internet. I have bad things that I don’t want to remember now," the former Strikeforce champion said.
"It’s hard to delete," Cyborg continued.
Even though there was a feud, Cyborg still found a way to respect Rousey.
"I think she did great things for women’s MMA," she said.
There is a long documented history of Trash Talk between Cyborg and Rousey. The feud sometimes even garnered comments from the UFC President Dana White himself who has often times been critical of Justino and her desire to fight in the UFC. Despite the drama, Cyborg is finally earning her UFC title shot, while Rousey has not yet expressed an interest in returning to the sport.
Stacked Card
Including Justino's title fight, there are three belts on the line tonight at UFC 214. In the evening's main event, current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his title in a rematch against former champion Jon Jones. Also, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley defends his strap against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, Demian Maia.
UFC 214 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California with the main card being available for purchase on pay-per-view.
