Bellator MMA has come to an agreement with the top MMA free agent on the market, signing Cris “Cyborg”.
According to a tweet sent out by Bellator CEO Scott Crocker the deal is “the biggest contract in Women’s MMA history.” Although no numbers where given.
The news of the announced value of the contract may come as a surprise but the company doesn’t. The former UFC, Invicta, & Strikeforce champion, fought for Croker who was the founder of Strikeforce. Also, days after UFC 240 where “Cyborg” defeated Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision, UFC president Dana White publicly announced he would be waiving the promotions exclusive negotiation period and matching rights, allowing “Cyborg” to sign wherever she’d like. In the end “Cyborg” went 6-1 in the Octagon with knockouts of Leslie Smith, Lina Lansberg, Tonya Evinger, & Yana Kunitskaya.
The Bellator CEO has led us to believe, Cyborgs debut could come against Bellator Featherweight champion Julia Budd. The plan for Bellator is to definitely keep “Cyborg” more active than fighting twice a calendar year as was the case the first 3 years of being signed with the UFC. The inactivity became a bigger issue as the relationship with the promotion became strained at the end of the contract. “Cyborg” had eight-month gaps between her last two fights.
“Cyborg” is a devastating striker who has 17 of 21 mma wins by knockout. The Brazilian has fought professional Muay Thai three times, going 2-1, including being 1-1 in Lion Fights.
“Cyborg” will now look to win a championship in a 4th MMA promotion & the possibility of “Cyborg” boxing is also out there. The promotion is also currently engaged in contract negotiations with former UFC title challenger “Alpha” Kat Zingano.
