Cris Cyborg’s longtime manager said he and his team are in “daily” communications with UFC officials as a fight offer looms for UFC 219.
“It’s been pretty aggressive on both sides,” George Prajin today told MMAjunkie. “Both sides want it to happen.”
Cyborg (18-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) could look to defend her women’s featherweight title against ex-bantamweight champ Holly Holm (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at the Dec. 30 pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Holm already has said she’s open to the fight. But Prajin said a new deal needs to be struck before Justino can commit.
“The UFC wants to have a longterm future with her,” he said. “She does as well. She just wants to be paid her value.”
At the press conference for this past Saturday’s UFC 216 event, UFC President Dana White expressed confidence a deal would get done with the champ.
“It’s not done yet,” he told MMAjunkie. “I can never predict what’s going to happen, but I think we’ll get it done. Soon.”
The clock is ticking on Justino’s contract. Prajin said UFC 219 could potentially be her final obligation to the promotion. A report in April from MMAFighting.com states the deal will expire this month, regardless of how many fights are remaining.
Asked about a “champion’s clause” that typically extends a current titleholder’s contract with the promotion for three fights or one year, whichever comes first, Prajin said, “That’s an interpretation of a contract that I’d rather not discuss publicly, because that’s an argument that can be made both ways.”
Prajin declined to comment further on the details of Cyborg’s contract.
Justino signed a seven-fight deal in 2014 that saw her compete under the all-female Invicta FC banner before migrating to the UFC. The promotion eyed a showdown with now ex-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, but the fight never materialized. Rousey suffered a brutal knockout to Holm – and then current bantam champ Amanda Nunes – and Cyborg swore off fighting lighter than 145 pounds after two trips to 140 pounds.
Cyborg returned to the octagon in July at UFC 214 and claimed the featherweight title – left vacant by injured Germaine de Randamie – with a brutal beatdown of former Invicta FC bantamweight champ Tonya Evinger. At the event, Cyborg spoke of turning over a new leaf with the industry-leader.
The 32-year-old Brazilian frequently has disagreed with the UFC’s promotional strategy and publicly bashed it. After several flareups, White admitted in June that the promotion had erred in its treatment. He resolved to give Cyborg a title shot at featherweight. On the eve of that fight, Cyborg was encouraged but said there were some actions that couldn’t be taken back.
It’s not hard to discern when something is wrong with the relationship. When Cyborg is unhappy or wants to make a point, her preferred method of communication is Twitter, where she never hesitates to fire back at a perceived slight. As recently as this past week, she touted the ratings generated by one of her UFC fights.
A face-to-face meeting between the champ’s team and White was scheduled for this past Thursday. It was canceled, but Prajin said the meeting could be rescheduled for this week. He said the fact that both sides are regularly communicating is a good sign.
“In negotiations, emotions run high,” he said. “There’s a lot of flexing on both sides. Everybody wants to get the best deal. We know her value, and the UFC obviously values her, as well. We’re just trying to make sure we come to an agreement on a mutual understanding of that.”
For more on UFC 219, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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