By
John Heinis on Thursday, September 26
th 2013
Looks like Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane Justino still wants a piece of UFC women’s bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey and the sooner the better.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, “Cyborg” took a shot at her American counterpart when asked her prediction of Rousey vs. Miesha Tate II at UFC 168:
"Ronda is a little mentally sick," Justino said. "Miesha is more focused. I don’t know if that’s because Ronda is younger, more competitive. The mental aspect can affect her, but what makes you win inside the Octagon is training. The better prepared fighter will win."
Cyborg went on to say “Tate has more weapons to defeat Ronda,” though “she doesn’t really care who wins this fight.”
Rousey defeated Tate for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight strap in March 2012, forcing “Cupcake” to tap to her signature armbar.
Through seven professional fights, no one has made it through the first round with “Rowdy,” with each of those opponents tapping to the Olympic-level Judoka’s armbar.
Despite briefly being under a UFC contract after Strikeforce folded, Justino left the organization after the UFC could not come to terms with her manager, Tito Ortiz, on a fight with Rousey that would be sure to draw a ton of fan interest.
The heavy-handed Brazilian is still very interested in giving Rousey her first test inside the cage.
"The only thing stopping this fight to happen now is the weight, but I don’t care about the belt," Cyborg said. "I want to this fight for the fans in a catchweight because she used to fight in my division and then dropped. I’d fight her (in the UFC) and then return to my home, Invicta."
Justino is no slouch herself, riding an impressive 13-fight unbeaten streak, including two decisive knockouts under the Invicta banner this year.
However, her reputation was tarnished in the eyes of many pundits after the muscle-bound Brazilian tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol after a 17-second KO of Hiroko Yamanaka in December 2011.
As a result, the California State Athletic Commission suspended Justino’s fight license for one year and fined her $2,500.