Cris Cyborg is set to make her long overdue Octagon debut at UFC 198. While she will be facing Leslie Smith, naturally Cyborg had to field questions from the media about her long time rival in Ronda Rousey. This time though, the Invicta featherweight champ had words of encouragement, instead of criticism towards her.
“She lost, but it’s not over,” Cyborg said about Rousey. “She lost, but she can come back, she can fight for the title again.”
She also acknowledges that Rousey walking away from MMA would be bad for the sport.
“I think she can’t give up. Giving up is bad for everyone. I don’t have anything against Ronda,” she said. “She made the sport grow more. Even if she was talking a lot about me, but I believe she helped the sport a lot. Maybe the sport wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t for this American that did what she did for the sport.”
“Everybody loses, it’s not the end of the world. I hope she sees that.”
“Sometimes we lose to see new things, lessons as athlete or human being,” she said. “I believe she can be champion again. I think so.”
Watch the clip above, where Cyborg also discusses her weight, and her future with the UFC.
About the author
