'Cyborg' done talking Rousey, 'spoiled little girl' can come back to original weight

'Cyborg' done talking Rousey, says 'spoiled little girl' can come back to original weight

by John Morgan on Aug 20, 2012 at 9:20 pm ET
Former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (10-1 MMA, 4-0 SF) has made it clear she is not a Ronda Rousey (6-0 MMA, 4-0 SF) fan.

And while she would be more than happy to step into the cage with "Rowdy," especially after the current Strikeforce female bantamweight champion called her out, Santos has been medically advised against trying to make 135 pounds.

With that in mind, Santos said she's done talking about Rousey and any potential fight for the bantamweight title. If Rousey wants to prove her worth, Santos said, let her come back to 145 pounds to do it – the same place she started her Strikeforce career.

"I get many questions about Ronda Rousey, and I would like to set the record straight for the last time, as I do not consider her much personally, much less as a fighter," Santos told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. "She claims she is the champion and openly challenges me to fight at 135 pounds, which I find laughable. She competed in the Beijing Olympics at 154 pounds and fought at 145 pounds in MMA until she learned she would have to fight me and then dropped to 135 pounds.

"I have never fought below 145 pounds, and I am considered the pound-for-pound top woman fighter in the world. I have yet to lose a fight while holding the Strikeforce 145-pound title. My last fight was considered a no contest, but that has not changed the fact that I am the women's 145-pound champion."

Santos, who made her Strikeforce debut in April 2009, was stripped of the Strikeforce women's featherweight title one month after a post-fight drug test at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" turned up positive for stanozo metabolites in late 2011.

The California State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event, suspended Santos for one year and fined her $2,500. Additionally, her first-round TKO of Hiroko Yamanaka was also overturned to a no-contest.

Rousey, who was 2-0 in Strikeforce's 145-pound division, dropped to 135 pounds earlier this year and promptly earned the promotion's female bantamweight title by submitting then-champion Miesha Tate. This past Saturday night, the former Olympic judoka defended the title by submitting former champion Sarah Kaufman in just 54 seconds.

Following the win, Rousey called out Santos and challenged her to come down to 135 pounds.

"I need to send out a challenge to Ms. Cyborg, there," Rousey said after her victory. "People want to see you have the first fair fight of your life. I'm the champ now. The champ doesn't go to you. You go to the champ. Come down to 135 and let's settle this."

Santos said that's simply impossible for her to do, and doctors have told her as much. As far as the Brazilian slugger is concerned, if this potential superfight is going to happen, it needs to be in the same division Rousey started her Strikeforce career.

"There really is not a safe way for me to cut to 135 pounds – not without hurting myself physically," Santos said. "I am less than eight percent body fat at 145 pounds, and my cardiologist and physician have advised me that to make such a drastic reduction in weight could have permanent effects on my long-term health. I will not endanger my health to satisfy the rantings of a spoiled little girl who has yet to prove that she can truly compete at my level at a weight she has not only fought at before but has been awarded an Olympic medal."

Santos' CSAC suspension ends in December, and despite a since-deleted tweet that suggested she was looking to terminate her Strikeforce contract, the former champion said she's looking forward to fighting again and hopefully regain the belt she eagerly points out she never truly lost.

And if Rousey wants to move up to 145 pounds in an attempt to make history as a female dual-division champion, then she has an open invitation to step into the cage. Until then, "Cyborg" said she's done dealing with the outspoken Californian.

"To put this issue to rest, if Ronda is the future of women's MMA and is the champion that she envisions, you know where I am, and I am more than willing to give you an opportunity to test me," Santos said. "I will fight you at 145 pounds – you know, the weight that you started at – and then you can have two belts and prove to everyone that you are indeed a champion. If not, stay at 135 pounds and continue to delude yourself and your fans that you can beat me. You're really not worth my time otherwise.

"I will do all of my talking in the ring. Until then, you're really not worth my breath."

 

I think cyborg is a dirty cheat, but i kind of agree with her here.

 

despite all of that its ridiculous to make her fight at a weight she has never fought at before.

 

That is all fine, but Ronda has fought at 145 before. And since it's ronda doing the challenging, she should be the one that puts the effort in for the fight no? At worst, a catch weight of 140.

 

Yeah i think some of those easy fights where cyborg didnt even train, i doubt she was on anything. But yeah, she was only caught once.

 

Because she called Santos out

 

if that is the case, then you are right. If she calls out Ronda, she needs to go down.

 

I dont think Steriods works that way. I dont think past steriod use would help her against rousy. Ask Orion tho.

 

a year is a good amount of time no?

 

You are in the bodybuilding world.

 

i never imply. I just come out and say it. But i would think you have more knowledge on the issue of HGH than many here.