Miesha Tate Wants To Fight Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino


While UFC women’s bantamweight contender Miesha Tate is focused on her fight against Ronda Rousey at UFC 168, she is also already thinking ahead to what she will do if she pulls off an upset over the champion: A fight against Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

Tate acknowledged that she has a major battle ahead against the undefeated “Rowdy” Rousey, who claimed the UFC’s inaugural women’s bantamweight championship in February with a victory over Liz Carmouce.

“I think a true fighter is down to fight anybody,” Tate said. “I know that would be a big challenge, but fighting Ronda is a big challenge. I think everybody is super tough.”

But, Tate said, she would entertain the chance to hand Justino only her second defeat since her MMA debut in 2005, if her criteria are met.

“The chance to go in there and be the [second] person to beat ‘Cyborg’ would be worth it,” Tate said. “I would for sure take the fight, but I would prefer her to come down (in weight) to fight.

She added, “I would definitely want her to come down because I don’t walk much above 135 (pounds), and she’s already got a huge strength advantage. So that would be fair, in my opinion.”

Justino currently fights at 144.5 pounds. In February, she asked to be released from her UFC contract because the promotion wanted her to drop down to 135 pounds. Her manager, former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, said that Justino would not be able to make that weight, and that it was already hard enough for her to drop to 145.

“For her to get to down to 135 pounds is physically impossible for a woman,” Ortiz said. “…For Cris Cyborg to get down to that weight, she’s going to be 3 to 4 percent body fat.”

Justino signed with Invicta less than a week later. At the press conference announcing her contract, she weighed in at 160 pounds, meaning she would have to drop 25 pounds to fight as a bantamweight.

Rousey has also said that she would be open to fighting Cyborg, telling ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto, “If she really wants to make that fight happen, I’m here.”

Who would you rather see Cris “Cyborg” Justino fight: Miesha Tate or Ronda Rousey?

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