Bellator MMA Signs Cris Cyborg to Largest Contract in Women’s MMA History

Bellator MMA has won the Cris Cyborg sweepstakes, signing the former fighter to the largest contract in women’s MMA history. The company announced on Tuesday thnat they’ve signed Cyborg to a multi-year, multi-fight deal. Cyborg wull compete in the 145-pound weight class against the likes of current champion Julia Budd, Olga Rubin, Arlene Blencowe, Janay Harding and Leslie Smith among others.

The signing comes after Cyborg was granted her release from the UFC in August after a dispute over a potential fight against Amanda Nunes. Cyborg said she was willing to take the rematch, while Dana White said she didn’t. Cyborg eventually had to apologize for a video shared by her team which appeared to show White admitting he was lying, but which turned out to be doctored.

“I have worked with countless athletes over my thirty-plus years of promoting combat sports, but there is no one quite like ‘Cyborg’,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “Her ability to excite the crowd from the moment she makes her walk to the cage is special, and having had the pleasure of promoting several of her fights in the past, I am looking forward to the opportunity of promoting her once again. ‘Cyborg’ is the most dominant female fighter in the history of the sport and she will be a perfect fit here at Bellator, where champion Julia Budd and the other women that make up best female featherweight division in the world have eagerly awaited her arrival.”