This past Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 279, the women’s featherweight title was on the line. One of the greatest of all time Cris Cyborg (26-2) was defending her title for the second time against the very tough Arlene Blencowe (15-9).
The two had previously fought at Bellator 249 with Cyborg getting the second round submission. It looked like this fight was going to end in a stoppage as well, but Blencowe wasn’t going to go out easy.
In the first half of the fight, Cyborg brutally dropped Blencowe with a right hand. The fight looked close to being stopped but Blencowe held on. She was able to hold on and take all the punishment that Cyborg dished out.
Not only was she able to take it, she came back and won a round at Bellator 279. While it might not sound like much, winning a round was a big win for Blencowe overall in the grand scheme of things. That being said, it was a runaway win for Cyborg and another successful title defense.
What’s next after Bellator 279?
With her victory on Saturday at Bellator 279, Cyborg officially hits the free agent market. Her first deal with the promotion comes to a close and she went 5-0 during this run which included winning the featherweight title and defending the belt four times.
That being said, she’s going to be open to suitors and she made it clear that she wants the biggest fights for her fans. Let’s address the biggest promotion in the room and that’s the UFC. Cyborg was the UFC featherweight champion before getting knocked out by Amanda Nunes.
Her and Dana White don’t have the greatest relationship and it’s really hard to see Cyborg going back. However, the UFC has done difficult deals in the past and if they could resign Tito Ortiz a couple of times, a Cyborg deal could get done. However, the Bellator champion is unlikely to return.
In my opinion, this is a two-horse race. This is going to come down to Bellator and PFL. When PFL resigned Kayla Harrison, they made a promise to her that they would do everything they can to get her a massive fight for her legacy.
That massive fight would be a showdown with Cyborg. The potential fight with Cyborg is why she almost signed with Bellator in the first place. With the incentive to build that massive fight, I think PFL is going to come strong with a big offer.
However, Bellator won’t go easy and I see them making a huge offer to retain Cyborg. Cyborg is also very happy with Bellator and has a great relationship with Scott Coker. If I was to make a guess today, I would say she resigns and stays with Bellator. However, it’s going to be interesting to watch.