Outside Source
For the longest time, Cristiane Justino had Ronda Rousey in her sights, but her focus began to shift following one historic November night in Melbourne.
That, of course, is when Holly Holm shocked the world with a head kick KO of Rousey at UFC 193, ending the Olympic judoka’s aura of invincibility. “Cyborg” had aggressively pursued a fight with Rousey prior to that, but the UFC – and Rousey — wanted the Brazilian to prove she could make 135 pounds first. That was a lot to ask of Justino, who has struggled to make 140-pound catchweight in previous UFC bouts.
“When Holly fought with Ronda, I was really watching that fight,” Justino said during a recent media call. “Me and Ronda really had a hard time being able to fight each other – she was always just talk, but never wanted to really fight me.
Once Holm, a huge underdog, claimed bantamweight gold, the Cyborg vs. Rousey bout lost some of its luster and the hard-hitting Brazilian had a new target.
“I watched the fight, [Holly had] an amazing fight that day and I knew I was going to fight Holly. On that day, I was making plans to fight Ronda, but on that day when Holly beat Ronda, I said one day soon, I’m going to fight Holly.”
Justino and Holm will square off for the women’s featherweight title in the UFC 219 headliner in Las Vegas on Dec. 30. “Cyborg” captured the belt with a victory over Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 on July 29.
Holm was a matchup nightmare for Rousey, and she could as prove to have a difficult style for Cyborg, as well. For years, Justino has been the most feared woman in MMA, with a 19-fight unbeaten streak built on fearsome punching power. A win over Holm, a former boxing champion, could solidify the Chute Boxe product’s legacy, but Justino isn’t necessarily thinking in those terms.
“Whenever I go inside the cage, I never think that I’m 10 years undefeated and that I’m the champion,” Justino said. “I never think like that. I leave it to other people to think about me like that; I just have to think about getting better each time I fight.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
