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05-18-2015, 12:15 AM
Ronda Rousey: Cris Cyborg is 'just all 'roids and muscle and no technique'
We all know by now how Ronda Rousey feels about Cris Justino and her checkered past with performance-enhancing drugs. Rousey's stance on not fighting "Cyborg" unless she's at 135 pounds is well documented.
But there's no denying Justino's skills in the cage, though. Right? Well, Rousey won't be going around giving her credit, that is for sure.
The UFC women's bantamweight champion blasted Justino's ability on Howard Stern this week, saying not only that she's a product of PEDs, but also actually afraid of facing Rousey.
"Of course she is," Rousey told Stern. "What she wants is enough money that she could take a loss for it. She's one of those people where it's all just 'roids and muscle and no technique. No anything."
Justino (13-1, 1 NC) has an extremely impressive résumé, albeit against mostly unheralded competition. The Brazilian has not lost since her pro debut in 2005 and has finished all but two of her opponents -- most of them in violent fashion. Justino, 29, is the current Invicta FC 145-pound champion and former Strikeforce champ in that weight class.
Rousey, though, points to Justino's bout with Gina Carano as an example of the holes in her game. Carano was able to achieve mount twice on "Cyborg" largely due to mistakes of aggression on the part of Justino. That fight, though, was six years ago and "Cyborg" still won by first-round TKO.
"She tried to throw her and pulled mount twice," Rousey said. "Her technique just sucks and she just manhandles her way out of it."
Rousey also brought up Justin's Muay Thai loss to Jorina Baars last year in Lion Fight.
"She just had a Muay Thai fight and got dropped six times," Rousey said. "She has no chin at all."
A fight between the two women seems inevitable, but only if Justino can make 135 pounds. She'll defend her 145-pound belt at Invicta FC 13 in July and then will likely have one more bout with the all-women's promotion where she'll attempt to compete at 135. If she's able to do that, the UFC will probably bring her in for a title fight with Rousey.
It would be the biggest fight in women's MMA history -- and one of the biggest fights the UFC can do right now. Rousey said the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao boxing match took five years to put together, so she'll give "Cyborg" two more years to make 135 before moving on with her life.
"Me and 'Cyborg,' this talk has been happening for about three years," Rousey said. "She's got two more years to really step up, get herself in the UFC and fight me."
Rousey (11-0) is the undisputed best women's fighter in the world right now. She has finished every single one of her fights, all but one inside of the first round. Her last two title defenses in the UFC ended in a combined 30 seconds. Outside the Octagon, "Rowdy" has become a mainstream phenomenon. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week and appeared on Stern to promote her new book "My Fight/Your Fight."
A win over "Cyborg" would help cement Rousey's legacy as the greatest women's fighter of all time. But Rousey also knows she doesn't need Justino. And she only wants the fight on her terms, which is at 135 pounds for the UFC title. There will be no 145-pound matchup nor catchweight bout between the two.
"Would I do that? No," Rousey said. "She would have to make 135 just like everybody else and be clean."
We all know by now how Ronda Rousey feels about Cris Justino and her checkered past with performance-enhancing drugs. Rousey's stance on not fighting "Cyborg" unless she's at 135 pounds is well documented.
But there's no denying Justino's skills in the cage, though. Right? Well, Rousey won't be going around giving her credit, that is for sure.
The UFC women's bantamweight champion blasted Justino's ability on Howard Stern this week, saying not only that she's a product of PEDs, but also actually afraid of facing Rousey.
"Of course she is," Rousey told Stern. "What she wants is enough money that she could take a loss for it. She's one of those people where it's all just 'roids and muscle and no technique. No anything."
Justino (13-1, 1 NC) has an extremely impressive résumé, albeit against mostly unheralded competition. The Brazilian has not lost since her pro debut in 2005 and has finished all but two of her opponents -- most of them in violent fashion. Justino, 29, is the current Invicta FC 145-pound champion and former Strikeforce champ in that weight class.
Rousey, though, points to Justino's bout with Gina Carano as an example of the holes in her game. Carano was able to achieve mount twice on "Cyborg" largely due to mistakes of aggression on the part of Justino. That fight, though, was six years ago and "Cyborg" still won by first-round TKO.
"She tried to throw her and pulled mount twice," Rousey said. "Her technique just sucks and she just manhandles her way out of it."
Rousey also brought up Justin's Muay Thai loss to Jorina Baars last year in Lion Fight.
"She just had a Muay Thai fight and got dropped six times," Rousey said. "She has no chin at all."
A fight between the two women seems inevitable, but only if Justino can make 135 pounds. She'll defend her 145-pound belt at Invicta FC 13 in July and then will likely have one more bout with the all-women's promotion where she'll attempt to compete at 135. If she's able to do that, the UFC will probably bring her in for a title fight with Rousey.
It would be the biggest fight in women's MMA history -- and one of the biggest fights the UFC can do right now. Rousey said the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao boxing match took five years to put together, so she'll give "Cyborg" two more years to make 135 before moving on with her life.
"Me and 'Cyborg,' this talk has been happening for about three years," Rousey said. "She's got two more years to really step up, get herself in the UFC and fight me."
Rousey (11-0) is the undisputed best women's fighter in the world right now. She has finished every single one of her fights, all but one inside of the first round. Her last two title defenses in the UFC ended in a combined 30 seconds. Outside the Octagon, "Rowdy" has become a mainstream phenomenon. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week and appeared on Stern to promote her new book "My Fight/Your Fight."
A win over "Cyborg" would help cement Rousey's legacy as the greatest women's fighter of all time. But Rousey also knows she doesn't need Justino. And she only wants the fight on her terms, which is at 135 pounds for the UFC title. There will be no 145-pound matchup nor catchweight bout between the two.
"Would I do that? No," Rousey said. "She would have to make 135 just like everybody else and be clean."
