Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino has officially vacated the Invicta FC featherweight belt after having not defended the strap since January 2016 subsequently crowning a new Queen of the cage in Megan Anderson.
Anderson who has been touted as one of the brightest prospects in MMA is now more excited than ever at the opportunity to continue to grow the featherweight division – a decision she notes should have been made some time ago.
“I think this should have happened when Cris first fought in the UFC. From the moment she debuted for the organisation, we all knew that she wasn’t coming back. She’s been wanting to fight for the UFC for a long time and she was given the opportunity to fight for them so it makes no sense for her to go back to Invicta. I’m glad that this has been cleared up now and the Invicta 145lb division can move forward and start to grow!” Anderson told Fight News Australia.
Arguably the pound-for-pound best female fighter in the world, ‘Cyborg’ now has her sights set firmly on picking a fight with current UFC featherweight champion, Germaine de Randamie, who defeated Holly Holm in the inaugural title bout back in February 2017. ‘The Iron Lady’ is currently sitting on the sidelines nursing a hand injury however ‘Cyborg’ has suggested the 29th of July in Anaheim, California as the time and place for them to meet and settle once and for all who the real champion is. Whilst Anderson believes de Randamie has been overlooked in the past, she finds it hard to look past ‘Cyborg’ who has remained undefeated for the last 10 years.
“GDR isn’t given clearly enough credit for her toughness and I think would put up a serious challenge for Cris. I think Cris’ power and strength might win her this fight though.”
As for when we will be seeing Anderson in the UFC the future is still unclear. Discussions between her management team and the world’s biggest MMA promotion are still ongoing but appears to have reached a stalemate more so because it is unknown whether the UFC have any real immediate plans for the 145lb division as opposed to the obvious potential Anderson has to be the next face of women’s MMA.
So who is next for the Aussie?
“I have no idea. There are a lot of new greener featherweights coming through the ranks that would be great match ups down the line, but as of right now, whoever Invicta decides to put in front of me…I don’t see them coming close to beating me. I’m ready for whoever the matchmaking team at Invicta decide is next.”
