Bellator MMA announced on Thursday that they have come to terms on a new multi-fight deal with current women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.
There are few fighters on the current Bellator roster with the resume and industry credibility of Cris “Cyborg” Justino. The MMA legend has been in the sport for nearly 20 years and has competed in many of the top promotions in that time, including Strikeforce and the UFC. In 2020, she helped to put their women’s division on the map, and today she agreed to be the anchor of that side of the roster for several more years.
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This afternoon, Bellator revealed that the promotion and Cris Cyborg, 37, have agreed on a new multi-fight contract.
“After receiving multiple offers from several promotions I’m very happy that I was able to come to terms with Bellator and remain the face of their women’s featherweight division. Scott Coker is a promoter that I’ve worked with and respected for many years. He’s done so much to further women’s MMA and gives us a platform to showcase our skills.
“When making this decision, it was important to me that I was signing with the organization that I felt had the biggest names and the top talent at 145 pounds for me to challenge myself against. There is no question that all the top female featherweights are signed with Bellator and I can’t wait to get back in there and defend my belt.”
– Cris Cyborg
Next Bellator MMA card: Bellator 296 on May 12
The reigning featherweight queen has not fought since April 2022 when she scored a unanimous decision win over Arlene Blencowe in a rematch of their bout won by the Brazilian via submission two years earlier.
Since joining the promotion after a seven-fight run and 145-pound title reign in the UFC, Justino is 5-0 inside the Bellator cage and has scored finishes in all but one of those matchups. There is no date or opponent set for her first bout on this new contract, but UFC veterans Cat Zingano or Sara McMann are considered top options.
