UFC president Dana White claimed that Cris Cyborg turned down two opportunities to take a crack at the inaugural featherweight title but the current Invicta FC champion said it was for her health in the long run.
White told UFC Unfiltered that he offered Cybord a title fight at 145 pounds a month ago but turned it down after saying she could not make the weight. Cyborg then was offered for another featherweight fight for UFC 208 next year February in Brooklyn but also did not accept the offer.
In Cyborg's defense, turning down the two featherweight title fights is just to protect her health. As reported by MMA Fighting, the Brazilian fighter said her last weight cut caused her almost death. She added that in her technical knockout win against Lina Länsberg in their catchweight fight last September, she cut 24 pounds in a week and felt sick even after the victory.
Cyborg narrated that when she took a blood test, her nurse could not take her blood since it was so thick that it would not come out. She said she decided that she would only fight in her original division, which is at 145 pounds, but only with a 12 weeks' notice since her body was recovering and would only fight in March.
The UFC offered her another catchweight fight, according to Cyborg, but said she would not fight in that division again. A featherweight title match was offered to Cyborg but only with 10 weeks' notice and turned it down again, saying that her health is more important that the belt or the decision.
However, it was not just Cyborg who turned down the offer to fight as former UFC bantamweight champ Holly Holm was advised to night fight at 145 pounds by her coach Mike Winkeljohn, according to White.
Cyborg said that she would soon fight in her division and is ready to fight by March 2017.