Bellator president Scott Coker called Cris Cyborg the female Mike Tyson and said he wants to book a cross-promotion bout with Amanda Nunes.
Coker has promoted Cyborg for years in Strikeforce and now in Bellator and he has always called her the greatest women’s fighter of all time. For many years it was hard to argue that, but when Cyborg was KOed by Nunes at UFC 232, most believe that Nunes took the title of female GOAT. Coker, however, has remained steadfast that Cyborg is still the best in the world. But the only way we would find that out is if she fought Nunes again and beat her, and that won’t happen with Nunes still in the UFC.
Speaking to Combate, Coker praised his legendary female champion Cyborg and said that if it was up to him, he would find a way to book a cross-promotion fight between Cyborg and Nunes. However, the Bellator bossman admitted that he doesn’t believe his UFC counterpart Dana White will agree to the deal, though he remains hopeful.
“There is no denying that Cyborg is the best female fighter of all time, she was undefeated for 13 years, who else did that? A defeat cannot define her legacy, and I, as the guy who started the first female division in MMA history, have to say this. Cyborg is the best and is still fighting at a high level, demolishing opponents in the same way that demolished at the time of Strikeforce. Cyborg’s speed and accuracy are much better, seeing the combinations she uses is something phenomenal. She is the female version of Mike Tyson and nothing is more fair than having the rematch with the only fighter who knocked her out,” Coker said.
“If the UFC ever wants to do (the rematch), we’re in, but my opinion is that it will never happen because they have a lot to lose. The only way for this rematch to happen is if Amanda Nunes ever becomes a free agent and Cyborg still wants this fight. I don’t know how many fights Amanda still has in the contract, but if she is going to depend on the UFC to release, I find it difficult. It’s sad, because this is the struggle that people want to see. If it were up to me, I would do anything to happen, but that’s not the case. I already know the answer that would come from the UFC.”
There is no denying that fans want to see a rematch between Nunes and Cyborg, as well. Though Nunes defeated Cyborg in the pair’s first bout, there’s no guarantee that the second fight would go the same way. Cyborg was willing to get into a firefight in the first fight and paid for it with her first knockout loss. Should she go to her grappling, which she has used in her recent wins, perhaps the fight would go much different. There is only one way to find out, but it all depends on White saying yes.
