Cris Cyborg happy with divorce from UFC and Dana White, excited for Bellator debut

Cris Cyborg spent three years under fighting in the Octagon under the UFC banner, but by the end of her tenure, it was clear that her time with the UFC and Dana White had run its course. 

The relationship between Cyborg and White was never a perfect one. But after Cyborg lost the UFC featherweight title to Amanda Nunes, their relationship quickly slid to depths from which it couldn’t recover. Cyborg and her camp began making public accusations about White, which eventually led to him finally declaring that the UFC was “out of the Cyborg business.”

It didn’t take long for Cyborg to put her UFC tenure in the rearview mirror and ink a deal with Bellator, one of the few major fight promotions from which she hasn’t yet won a championship. She’s hoping to change that on Saturday night when she challenges Bellator featherweight champion Julia Budd in the Bellator 238 main event in Inglewood, Calif.

Ahead of the fight with Budd, Cyborg discussed her UFC exit, comparing it to getting a divorce; her move to Bellator, and the fight with Julia Budd and what it means for her career.

(Courtesy of Cris Cyborg)