Cyborg Justino Makes UFC Debut In Dominant Fashion, Jacare Souza Mollywhops Vitor Belfort At UFC 198
Cris "Cyborg" Justino is officially a UFC fighter, but it seems there are more questions than answers after her debut at UFC 198.
Cyborg destroyed her opponent Leslie Smith in roughly 80 seconds, and it wasn't even close. The Invicta FC Featherweight Champion made the cut to 140 pounds for the special catchweight fight, weighing in at 139 pounds yesterday. After the bout, Cyborg noted that she wanted to defend her Championship and continue to compete in catchweight fights for the UFC. There was no mention of longtime foe Ronda Rousey in her post-fight interview.
The size advantage was evident — Cyborg is huge. She once proclaimed her desire to drop to 135 pounds, but before giving it much of an effort decided against it. If she can make 135 pounds, there are several big fights ahead of her. At 140 pounds, the options may be a bit more limited. Either way, Cyborg made a huge first impression among fans. The 8-7 Leslie Smith protested the stoppage, but she was more than done.
Also on the show, "Jacare" Souza effectively eliminated former UFC Champion Vitor Belfort from any future title consideration. Souza took Belfort down with ease on multiple occasions before cracking Belfort open with elbows. Late in the first round, the referee stepped in and ended the fight, possibly launching Souza into title contention. Souza sure hopes so, as he declared his desire to compete for the middleweight title after the fight.
Elsewhere on the card, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was the beneficiary of some home cooking in Brazil for his split decision win over Corey Anderson, one Anderson probably should have won. Bryan Barberena, who last upset Sage Northcutt, beat the previously undefeated Warlley Alves in a huge upset. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira got his first win in three years over Patrick Cummins, and Demian Maia controlled Matt Brown on his way to victory.
You can see our full coverage of UFC 198 at this link.