When UFC president Dana White admitted that the UFC has "made some mistakes when it comes to Cyborg,” the Brazilian star started believing that things could finally change for her.
Cris Cyborg, who is set to compete for the vacant UFC featherweight championship against Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 in Anaheim on July 29, has complained about her complicated relationship with the promotion for a long time.
After White opened up in a recent interview, Cyborg hopes for a better future.
"I hope it’s gonna change,” Cyborg said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “The last interview, Dana White said he did a lot of mistakes with Cyborg, maybe we can work together. I love my job. If my boss and my company loves working with me, we’re gonna have a lot of success together.
"I accepted that. Let's see what's gonna happen after that,” she continued. "Let's see if not going to be just words, but if the practice in business is gonna change. We just have to work together. If you want to work together, for sure we can make a lot of money together. But we need to work together. After this interview, I think he opened the door for getting better."
Cyborg has fought twice under the UFC banner, scoring dominant TKO victories in 140-pound catchweight bouts. With her contract about to expire in October, the Brazilian talent is open to re-signing with the company if their relationship is better after her long-awaited title bout.
"I'm gonna fight for the belt now, and then if I get the belt, this is gonna hold me one year, probably have a couple of fights too,” she said. "I really have to think about it. If the UFC is gonna work with me, how we’re gonna work together. If I’m happy there, if they show respect for me… let's wait and just wants to make everybody happy, all my fans happy. I think everybody is gonna watch my fight because they waited so long for that day, let’s see after. I think after, when we work together and make money together, it changes.
"I know I have a lot of doors open for me if this doesn't happen, but all my focus is my fight in the end of the month and then we see what's going to happen. I hope everything will be okay."
Being under contract with Zuffa for years now, competing under the Invicta FC banner, Cyborg thinks she was signed just to “hold" her and prevent her from competing for a company like Bellator.
Instead of letting her run through opponents in the Invicta FC cage, Cyborg believes she could be a star as big as Ronda Rousey if she was promoted as one.
"Imagine now if they used the same machine they used to build Ronda Rousey, imagine if this people did it with me,” Cyborg said. "The same people that watched Gina Carano against Cyborg, the same people watched my last fight. We made the same number.
"Imagine if they build my like they did to Ronda Rousey, if I fought Holly Holm the same night Ronda Rousey fought Cat Zingano (at UFC 184). If Ronda doesn't wanted to fight me, protect her, that’s fine, you build two stars. It would be amazing. Big stars is good for them. More stars, more money for them."
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