Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino gets shot at UFC glory after overcoming personal battles
Cris “Cyborg” Justino had a warm smile as she carried a small tote of fight gear into a Costa Mesa gym last week. She was wearing a black T-shirt of her image surrounded by the words “Fighter, Female, Fearless.”
It was an accurate description.
On July 29 at the Honda Center, the 32-year-old Brazilian from Orange County gets her long-awaited opportunity to have the UFC women’s featherweight belt fastened around her waist by the group’s president, Dana White.
“I trained for six years straight thinking, ‘One day, they’re going to need me,’ ” Justino said. “I had a hard time, cried a lot, but I always believed there was a plan for me.”
White once said that he’d never stage a women’s fight in the UFC, but then came along Ronda Rousey, who would fight in the only women’s division (135 pounds) in 2013.
Although Justino had reigned alongside Rousey as a 145-pound champion of the MMA organization Strikeforce, such consideration was not extended to her.
“Maybe it was because I’m Brazilian, not American,” Justino said. “But I was the world champion before Ronda, and I thought if they wanted to open the world to women’s MMA, they should open the door to me, too — and all of us — and let the sport grow,” Justino said.
Justino did have some baggage after testing positive in 2011 for the steroid stanozolol, but she served her suspension and her tests have remained clean.
During Rousey’s armbar dominance, Justino shined on the lesser MMA stage by delivering punches, kicks and knees in rapid succession, posting an equally impressive 4-0 mark with three first-round technical knockouts.
White explained before Rousey’s loss to Holly Holm in November 2015 that there was no division for Cyborg, and pointed to Justino’s comment that a doctor said she could die if she tried to get down to 135 pounds, Rousey’s division.
A few months after Rousey’s loss, however, White and then-UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta watched Justino’s knockout win in an Invicta featherweight title defense in Orange County and signed her less than two months later.
“If Ronda was still the champ, I don’t think I’d be in the UFC,” Justino said. “I know it’s not fair, but if she’d never lost a fight, they wouldn’t have needed me.”
The UFC’s creation of a 145-pound division in December followed two Cyborg TKO victories last year in non-title catch-weight bouts.
------------
For the record:
An earlier version of this story claimed UFC officials considered Justino’s positive result for a banned substance on Dec. 5 before making a Feb. 11 featherweight title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie on Dec. 13. While Justino was subject to an immediate provisional suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency before she ultimately avoided discipline on that matter, the UFC was not officially informed of Justino’s positive result until Dec. 22.
------------
Justino avoided suspension by proving that she required the substance to treat an issue with her ovaries. New champion de Randamie balked at fighting Justino, calling her a “cheater.”
The UFC stripped de Randamie of the belt for the delay, and Justino (17-1) will meet Invicta 135-pound champion Tonya Evinger for the vacant belt.
While some fighters have landed spots on “Dancing With the Stars” or appeared in the body issue of ESPN the Magazine, Justino has been viewed more harshly.
Jason Parillo, Justino’s coach, says the merciless fight game masks Justino’s softness.
“She brings an energy to an arena like Mike Tyson and people perceive her only as this tough person. But she’s one of the sweetest people out there and has a great heart,” Parillo said.
It’s a difficult balance, says Justino.
“At the gym, it’s just men, so I wear a big shirt and big shorts because I don’t feel comfortable wearing little shorts and going to do jiu-jitsu with the guys,” she said. “Sometimes, I hear people say, ‘Cris fights like a man … .’ That makes me happy because I do try my best to show women can fight, punch and tackle like men do. It’s not about pulling hair. I’m showing I have technique.
“But, of course, I’m a woman. I take care of all the things a [stereotype of a] woman does — I clean my house, I cook. My life is not just come to the gym and train.”
At the ceremonial opening of the UFC’s new $12 million performance center in May, Justino turned heads by appearing in a red, flowing dress.
“I like going to the salon, I like doing my nails, I like doing all the things that most women do,” she said. “So many times, I’m not shown anywhere but around the cage and training, so people don’t know who Cyborg is, and all that I like to do.”
She’s experienced the heartbreak of divorce after eight years of marriage to a former MMA fighter whose nickname she shared out of affection, and says she’s happy in a relationship with another man now.
“Fans meet me and say, ‘Oh, you’re really nice,’ and I’m like, ‘Of course, you thought I’d be mean?’,” Justino said. “I have feelings. I have family. I have friends. My niece is like my daughter. And I’d like a child. I’m 32 now, so maybe soon.”
First comes next Saturday’s fight, and the likely anointing of the newest champion by White, whom Justino says she has forgiven.
“When you forgive there can be a consequence, like him putting that belt around me,” she said.
“When this [fight] finally was made, I was very happy. I always read the Bible and I remember reading, ‘You’re going to be frustrated in this world … but I will give you strength.’
“You have to use these trials to overcome. People like seeing that because they’ve had similar experiences — good times, bad times. So, now, I’ll fight for the belt to show you never have to quit. Your heart is hardened for battle.”
Follow Lance Pugmire on Twitter @latimespugmire
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
