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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC is in talks with Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino once again, according to a report from ESPN.com, putting a potential fight with Ronda Rousey back on the table.
However, UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta says they'll need her to make 135 lbs. in order to bring her in.
"We certainly have an interest in Cyborg fighting for us," Fertitta said. "We feel that down the road, there is a possibility of a big fight between her and Ronda, but there are still a lot of things that need to happen."
"She needs to prove she can get down to 135 pounds before we would take the risk of making that fight happen. Obviously, if she came over and didn't make the weight, it would be a disaster... I feel fairly positive if Cyborg can get to 135 pounds, we will be able to make that fight. [The Rousey fight] has to happen at 135 pounds."
Cyborg's manager George Prajin wouldn't comment on her getting to 135 lbs., but he said they're still at the table with the organization because of how the negotiations have gone.
"One thing I can say is that Lorenzo and Zuffa have been very professional during these negotiations," Prajin said. "And they have been respectful to Chris, which is probably what's actually keeping us at the table."
Penick's Analysis: This should be added motivation for Cyborg to re-attempt getting to 135 lbs. She said she was done trying because she felt she was the only one attempting to make the Rousey fight happen, but clearly the UFC is trying to do what they can make it happen. Still, there remains no reason for Rousey to move up in weight as an accommodation to Cyborg, so Cyborg has to hit 135 lbs. if they're going to make that fight happen.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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