The buzz centering a possible match between Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos continues to grow as UFC president Dana White said he could see Rousey vs. Cyborg at a UFC event.
White appeared on The Dave and Mahoney Morning Show where the subject of Rousey, the current Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight champion, came up. Dave Farra then tweeted what White said about the idea of Santos and Rousey fighting in the octagon.
“Yes I could see Ronda Rousey vs. Cyborg as a co-main or main event for a UFC pay per view. Rousey is incredible.”
Although White has been outspoken about women’s MMA in the past, his stance on women has changed in the last year after being impressed by fighters like Rousey, former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate and Julie Kedzie.
A fight between Rousey and Santos, the former Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight champion, has been brewing since the two engaged in verbal combat after Santos’ failing a post-fight drug test back in December 2011.
Although both fighters would be more than happy to get inside of the cage with each other, both Rousey and Santos want to have the fight in their own weight classes. Rousey wants Santos to come down to 135 pounds, while Cyborg wants Rousey to come up to 145.
While these two can not seem to agree on a weight class, an appearance on a UFC card may be enough to persuade Rousey to move back up to 145.
White has also said that Rousey would be the first woman to fight in the octagon and who better than to match up against than the Cyborg, whose suspension ends in December.
However, having this match in the octagon would eliminate the idea of Rousey putting her Strikeforce title on the line, if Cyborg did drop to 135. One way the UFC could make this match more significant is to have a season of the “The Ultimate Fighter” where Rousey is coaching against Santos.
Rousey, who appeared on an episode of “The Ultimate Fighter Live”, is known for train with a number of MMA and martial arts pros, including the Diaz Brothers, judo expert Gene LeBell and kickboxing great Lucia Rikjer.
Santos comes from the Chute Boxe Academy, which is known for producing powerful strikers like Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Anderson Silva.
Rousey and Cyborg could coach men, which could make for interesting television and an increase in ratings. They could also coach women, which could bring in more women fighters to fight in the octagon.
Would you like to see Rousey vs. Cyborg in the octagon? Should be the main event of a pay per view or a preliminary match on Facebook. Send your answers in a comment box, or tweet them to @alstover with the hashtag #RantMMA
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