The UFC found itself in a bit of a jam following Ronda Rousey’s shocking loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, with practically everyone believing that Rowdy would come out the winner yet again.
At the time, many were more concerned on how long and how the fight would end rather than leaving some room for a possible loss. With that in their minds, focus was more on who Rousey would face next, and a big name that was up was Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.
At the time, Justino had to rush things a bit. She had to trim down to the 135 lbs mark and then fight at least once on that level before entertaining any plans of facing Rousey.
However, the developments that happened at UFC 193 have shook things up, and now, Justino seems to have gone in a different direction.
Rather than make the 135 lbs catchweight, Cyrborg has reportedly put that aside for now and will continue to fight at the 145 lbs weight level.
Before that loss, it was believed that Rousey and Justino were on a collision course to face each other for UFC 200 in July 2016. With that in mind, Justino and her camp had to race against time to satisfy the conditions set forth by UFC president Dana White.
"Cyborg's next fight will be at 145 pounds," Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp announced on "Inside MMA" via MMA Fighting.com. "This will be the first time she has competed without hydrating herself with an IV, so she's made the decision to go ahead and defend her belt."
This is the scenario at least for now, with the UFC more inclined towards a rematch between Holm and Rousey before moving forward.
Depending on how that turns out, it could take some time before MMA fans would be able to see Justino and Rousey go at it, made complicated by a silent and focused Holm, who could be a tough nut to crack from here.
Better yet, a good question to ask is whether the fight would take place at all. Another loss by Rousey could eventually signal her departure from the UFC scene and a possible tiff with Cyborg.
If that were the case, Cyborg’s likely opponent could turn out to be Holm in the end. Should that happen, Holm vs. Justino could start heating up after UFC 200 and likewise prove to be interesting for UFC fans.
"I still think there's a desire there at some point, and that's still a fight I'd like to see, whether it's Ronda or Holly or whoever it is," says Shannon Knapp via Fox Sports.