Cris Cyborg Cements Her Legacy With Bellator 249 Win

It is a common thing for sports fans to point at a sport and identify who is the greatest, either in that sport or in the division of that sport. Sometimes that GOAT is clear cut and other times it is the subject of much debate. What is very uncommon is to have a clear cut second-place in the GOAT division. That’s what Cris Cyborg is to women’s MMA. With her Bellator 249 main event win over Arlene Blencowe (13-8), Cyborg’s record now stands at 23-2-1, over her 15 year MMA career. Cyborg is clearly great but also clearly second in women’s MMA to Amanda Nunes, who is a current double champ in the UFC and knocked out Cyborg in the first round when they fought.

Surprisingly, her Thursday night win was the first submission of her career despite Cyborg’s aptitude in the ground game. “I was really working hard because I wanted my first submission in MMA. I never did that before,” Cyborg said. “This is a dream come true. I’m very happy and excited for the next one.”

While Cyborg was an overwhelming +1200 favorite heading in but many thought that Blencowe was a live dog. That was not the case. With most of the women’s featherweight cleared out, it is a good question of where does Cyborg go now. She has made no indication that she wants to retire but with her relationship with the UFC being completely toxic, it seems like she may run out of challengers before she is ready to leave the octagon for good.