Upon Cris Cyborg’s signing with Bellator, she was immediately granted a title shot against women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd. Her debut took place at Bellator 238 on Saturday, and she made a strong statement with a fourth-round TKO win.
When asked about how she feels in her new promotion, Cyborg had nothing but good words about how she’s been treated, so far.
“I’m really happy with Bellator. This is my new home, new era. I don’t have any problems around,” Cyborg told members of the media during the post-fight scrum. “I’m just very happy to be here and work with Bellator.”
The last time Cyborg fought at the Forum prior to Bellator 138 was at UFC 232 in December 2018, where she lost the UFC women’s 145-pound title to Amanda Nunes. More than a year later, she is only seeing the positives from that experience.
“I feel like everything happens for a reason. If I didn’t lose the belt that day (against Nunes), I wouldn’t be here now to be the champion of Bellator,” she said.
“And here, I’m happy,” Cyborg continued. “There (in the UFC), I was not happy. I was working, I felt like a slave, and there I was not happy. And here, I’m happy, something I choose to be.”
After Saturday night’s win, Cyborg now holds featherweight titles from four different promotion companies.
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