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Cris Cyborg Explains Why She Didn’t Call Out Ronda Rousey Following Her UFC 198 Win, Social Media Speculation Begins About Her Next Opponent

By Chrissie Williams
Published on: 05:36 PST, May 15, 2016

Cris “Cyborg” Justino didn’t have Ronda Rousey on her mind following her win at UFC 198 last night. The fan expected her to call Rousey out as her next opponent, but Cris didn’t feel it was the right moment. Cyborg reveals the reason why she decided not to call out Ronda and what’s next for her, Fox Sports reports.

Cris Cyborg put a beat on Leslie Smith during Saturday night’s UFC 198 in her UFC debut fight. Many of her fans thought she would call out Ronda following her win, but instead, she explained it was a lifelong to win a UFC fight.

“I believe it was my moment. Tonight was my moment, it was historic. I never thought I’d be sitting here tonight. I never thought I’d be here after everything I went through and it’s a historic moment for me. Talking about her is something that people are going to talk about, but I let my fans decide on who my opponent will be and I just have to be ready.”

Cyborg and Rousey are not strangers by any means and have been linked since Ronda won her UFC title in 2013. Cris has been hailed the best fighter in the world for a decade, so it makes sense why the UFC would bring her into the fold.

Rousey has been hesitant to talk about a fight with Cyborg because, in 2012, she faced a Strikeforce suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Many doubt the bout would ever come to be because Cris’ team claims that it would be difficult for her to make the weight (135 pounds).

Cyborg typically weighs 145 and dropped to 140 to fight Leslie Smith. Cris passed all the UFC drug testing without any trace of any performance-enhancing drugs in her system.

Following Cyborg’s win, the UFC fans couldn’t wait to hear who the UFC will pair her up against next. There were a lot of names tossed around, but two names came up over and over– Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm.

Recently, it came out in an interview that Cris was offered a bout with Ronda, reports Low Kick MMA. Dana White denied such an offer is on the table right now and revealed that he isn’t sure when Rousey plans to return to the octagon. Ronda’s team responded to the idea of fighting Cyborg and stated she would only agree if Cris could make the weight of 135 pounds. Ronda refused to move up in weight to make the bout a reality.

Many feel that Holly Holm might be a good person to put Cyborg against next. She is coming off a painful loss to Miesha Tate and may be ready to get in the octagon again. As for who would win the fight, the fans couldn’t decide. They are both top-notch fighters, and Holm proved that she was a great fighter when she knocked Ronda Rousey out in November 2015.

It’s really anyone’s guess who the UFC will put against Cris Cyborg next. Who do you think would be the best opponent for her? Can Ronda Rousey or Holly Holm defeat her? Voice your opinion about Cris Cyborg Justino’s win against Leslie Smith in the comments section below, and come back later for more UFC news and updates.

[Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images]

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